Asthma is becoming more common both in children and adults, you would have thought in this day and age that we would have eradicated this terrible potential life threating condition.
In 2017 over 77124 people went to their A&E department with this condition and when 1484 people died because of an asthma attack, these statistics are absolutely eye-watering.
If any of you have ever witnessed an Asthma attack it is scary when an attack happens the airways go into spasm and this causes the chest to tighten and if this is not scary enough the airways become inflamed and the body’s defences start producing phlegm and this causes the person to have severe breathing problems.
This is a frightening condition to witness in both an adult and a child, so what should YOU be looking for and more importantly would YOU recognise the symptoms if they were presented to you?
Adults tend to know what triggers an attack of Asthma and are usually well prepared when it does happen, doesn’t mean it is not as scary because it is, a good friend of mine suffers quite badly with the condition and his last attack really was scary, but we managed it really well, so let’s look at Asthma attacks in children.
This is pretty scary stuff for any sufferer let alone anyone who is with them too, if you are at all concerned phone the Ambulance services immediately, you can always cancel the ambulance if the situation gets much better, always best in my book to edge on the side of caution and call them.
Children tend to feel better after a couple of puffs and they still need to be kept calm and reassured for a while after the asthma attack, if all is well they can continue with activities.
We teach first aiders how to provide assistance and treatment to adults and children on our Paediatric first aid, Emergency first aid at Work, and First aid at work courses, these cover asthma attacks in adults and children. These courses are also available as an open course option from our centre in Rugby.
Asthma is a very common condition that can become life threatening really quickly if not dealt with, many sufferers live a normal life with this condition and with self-medication successfully manage it too. An Asthma attack can happen anywhere so if you witness an attack remember reassurance and a calming nature will help the suffer more than you think.
You may find these links helpful
Centre No 15227
Anaphylactic Shock