Symptoms of asthma in children
Asthma symptoms vary in children and can depend on the age of the child. Your child may have one or more of the following common symptoms:
- Wheeze: A wheeze is a whistling sound that happens when you breathe through narrowed airways. Regular wheezing is a symptom of asthma, but not all children with asthma wheeze and not all children who wheeze have asthma. This is why it is important that asthma is diagnosed by a doctor.
- Coughing: A dry, cough that won’t go away is a symptom of asthma and often occurs at night or during exercise.
- Chest tightness: Chest tightness is a symptom of asthma. Children may describe it as chest pain or even a tummy ache.
- Shortness of breath: Shortness of breath is another symptom of asthma and may be triggered by exercise or excitement.
Diagnosing asthma in children
There is no single test that can be used alone to diagnose asthma. Your child’s doctor will diagnose asthma based on:
- Family history of asthma
- Pattern of symptoms
- Physical examination
- Peak flow/lung function test
- Trial of asthma treatment
Your child’s doctor may also ask if they have other conditions, such as eczema or hay fever or ask you to keep a diary of their symptoms.
Asthma in children under 2
Asthma is difficult to diagnose in children under two years old. Wheezing is common in very young children. More than one third of children under two years will wheeze at some point. Most of these children stop wheezing as their airways grow, but for others it could be a sign that they will develop asthma. If your child is under two years old and their symptoms don’t go away, your doctor may decide to give them a trial of asthma medication to help make a diagnosis.