What is the cause of cough asthma in children?

Cough-type asthma in children is often caused by inflammation of the patient's airways, which triggers a high airway response, resulting in coughing and accompanied by symptoms such as asthma. This disease may be related to a certain extent, or it may be caused by environmental factors. In addition, some patients may have severe airway inflammation, which may cause tracheal smooth muscle spasm and cause the patient to gasp for breath.

Common respiratory viral or bacterial infections in children are also the biggest allergens that trigger allergic asthma attacks in children! According to clinical statistical reports on the causes of asthma attacks in children, the peak age for allergic asthma in children is 1-6 years old, the first onset age is mostly under 3 years old, and it gradually decreases after school age. The highest incidence season is winter (winter is the rising period of respiratory viral infections), followed by season change and autumn. The main causes of pediatric asthma, especially infant asthma, are respiratory viral and bacterial infections. Viruses and bacteria become strong allergens that trigger asthma attacks in infants and children. Allergic asthma attacks caused by respiratory tract infections in children are as high as over 50%, while the incidence of asthma attacks caused by respiratory tract infections in infants and young children (under three years old) is as high as 90%.

When children are infected with respiratory viruses, the integrity of the airway mucosal epithelium is destroyed by inducing airway infectious inflammation, which weakens the airway's defense against irritants, causes inflammatory reactions in the airways, and enhances the sensitivity and reactivity of inflammatory cells to IgE. Viruses can act as allergens to trigger the body's immune allergic reactions, stimulating immune cells to produce excessive IgE antibodies. This type of IgE antibody is also called "allergic memory" and is easily attached to the body's immune defense cells such as mast cells, eosinophils, etc. for a long time. Respiratory viruses and bacteria act as allergens and combine with IgE antibodies to form "antigen-antibody" products. This product stimulates mast cells, eosinophils, etc. to secrete excessive non-specific inflammatory mediators, which act on the mucous membranes of various parts of the human body and cause: airway contraction, increased respiratory secretions, aggravated airway stenosis, and triggering asthma attacks or aggravating asthma.

It needs to be emphasized that airway inflammation is an important cause of cough asthma, and some respiratory infections are very likely to cause airway reactions, so in order to prevent this disease, it is necessary to focus on preventing respiratory infections. In winter, children may be prone to upper respiratory tract infections. For example, colds are one of the diseases caused by this infection, so it is necessary to focus on preventing colds.