Asthma is a common lung condition that affects the airways
and causes breathing problems.
The main symptoms of asthma are:
- A whistling sound when breathing out (wheezing)
- Breathlessness
- A tight chest, which may feel like a band is tightening around
it
- Coughing
People with asthma don't normally experience symptoms all of the
time, but symptoms can be triggered by things like infections,
allergies and exercise.
When symptoms are particularly bad this is called an asthma
attack. You may have been referred to our clinic because of
troublesome symptoms or because you've had an asthma attack. The
asthma clinic can help to control symptoms and prevent future
attacks.
First, we do some tests to confirm that the symptoms are due to
asthma. Older children can do lung function tests, but these cannot
be done easily in young children. For younger children, we make
decisions about whether to try asthma medications based upon their
symptoms and other tests.
Getting
the diagnosis right is really important. You can read
about this on the Asthma + Lung UK
website.
Useful resources to help children learn anout and understand
asthma
