Have children with asthma? Get help preparing for flare-ups these holidays with a wheeze monitor

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As the year winds down and the lazy summer days are just around the corner, it can be really easy to break out of good habits when it comes to staying on top of your kid’s asthma …

… but asthma doesn’t take a holiday over summer.

Did you know? Typically when kids return to school after the summer holidays, asthma-related hospitalisations increase by 20-25%? So maintaining your routines over the next few weeks will make it much easier to keep their asthma flare-ups to a minimum when they encounter new triggers in the classroom.

Stay prepared for flare-ups with these three simple tips:

1. Watch for symptoms

The four common symptoms of asthma are coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightness. The most common asthma symptom in children under six is wheezing, a whistling sound made as airways in the lungs narrow, usually when breathing out, but sometimes when breathing in. Wheezing is the body’s way of reminding you to check for symptoms, triggers and whether medication is needed. However, it can often only be heard using a stethoscope. Using wheezo’s digital wheeze monitor can give you a quicker, more objective assessment.

2. Monitor air pollution and pollen levels

Air pollution and pollen might not be as easy to spot as other triggers (like pets and exercise), but these small contaminants can still wreak havoc in the lungs. In addition, sunny days can cause all sorts of chemical reactions, making pollution worse.

Pollutants:

•         Carbon monoxide: reduces oxygen in the blood
•         Nitrogen dioxide: can trigger asthma attacks
•         Ozone: can trigger asthma attacks
•         Sulphur dioxide: can trigger asthma attacks
•         Particulate matter (e.g. PM 2.5 and PM 10)

Wheezo works with an app to detect wheeze and provide a forecast of pollution and pollen levels.

During bushfire season, watch for PM 2.5 as these small toxic particles can embed deeply within the lungs and cause severe asthma flare-ups.

3. Visit the doctor

Now that the holidays have come around, it’s probably a good idea to see your GP to objectively assess your child’s asthma control, review their medication and update their asthma action plan.

Wheezo can give your doctor a clear picture of how well your child’s asthma is controlled between visits. By sharing detailed records of their symptoms and triggers, your doctor can better understand their asthma to help improve asthma management. wheezo includes a digital wheeze monitor and app that records and analyses breath sounds for the presence of wheeze, the sound your doctor listens for with a stethoscope. Through the app, you can log medication and connect self-reported symptoms, triggers and peak-flow measurements to share at the touch of a button.

 

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Date of Preparation: November 2021. RESP308.

People diagnosed with asthma should always read the label. If symptoms persist, talk to your health professional.

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