[Medical Q&A] What should parents do if their child is diagnosed with cough variant asthma?

Author: He Meijuan, deputy chief physician of Jiangxi Children's Hospital

Reviewer: Li Lan, Chief Physician, Jiangxi Children's Hospital

If your child is diagnosed with cough variant asthma, he or she needs to follow the doctor's advice and receive standardized treatment. You cannot reduce or stop medication on your own. In addition, the following non-drug treatments are also important.

Avoid contact with allergens. Pollen, mites, mold, cat and dog hair, etc. are common inhaled allergens for children, so special attention should be paid. Try not to keep flowers, plants, or pets at home; ventilate the room frequently, and wash the bed sheets and blankets frequently; try to avoid children when cleaning to reduce the chances of children coming into contact with allergens; reduce the use of plush toys and carpets; use a dehumidifier to reduce indoor humidity during the rainy season or in dark and humid rooms to reduce the chances of mite reproduction and mold growth.

In addition, parents need to carefully observe whether their children have touched or eaten anything before each coughing attack and the pattern of their coughing. Try to avoid contact in life. If it is really difficult to determine the allergens by themselves, allergen testing can be performed.

Pay attention to balanced nutrition, regular work and rest schedules, appropriate outdoor exercise and physical training to enhance resistance and improve lung function; when the seasons change or there is a large temperature difference between morning and evening, pay attention to adding or removing clothes in time; avoid places with large flow of people to reduce the risk of cross infection.

Through these comprehensive measures, the symptoms of cough variant asthma can be effectively controlled and the quality of life of children can be improved.