What are the symptoms of variant asthma in children?

Cough is a common symptom of respiratory diseases and is usually diagnosed as a respiratory infection, but there are also special cases. This is clinical variant asthma. At the beginning, coughing is the main symptom, but there is no wheezing. The patient will feel chest tightness, which can be relieved by exhaling deeply. What are the symptoms of variant asthma in younger children?

Symptoms and signs

1. Among adults with cough asthma, the age of onset is higher than that of typical asthma. About 13% of patients are over 50 years old, and middle-aged women are more common. In childhood, coughing may be the only symptom of asthma or even a precursor to developing bronchial asthma.

2. Most of them have a clear family history of allergies or a history of allergic diseases in other parts of the body, such as allergic rhinitis, eczema, etc.

3. Most attacks have a certain seasonality, mostly in spring and autumn.

4. The main clinical manifestations are long-term stubborn dry cough, which is often triggered by exercise, inhalation of cold air, or upper respiratory tract infection, and worsens at night or early morning. There is no wheezing during physical examination, and lung function damage is between that of normal people and typical asthma. Skin allergen tests may be positive.

5. The bronchial provocation test is positive. When a positive reaction occurs, an irritating cough similar to that during the onset of the disease may occur, indicating the presence of airway hyperresponsiveness; the reversibility test of airway obstruction is positive.

6. General cough suppressants and expectorants and antibiotics are ineffective, but antihistamines, β2-receptor agonists, theophyllines or corticosteroids can provide relief.

Diet and health care

1. Patients with cough variant asthma should have a light diet and eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, such as radish, sword bean, loofah, pear, apple, orange, loquat, grape, walnut, etc. Honey and maltose are also good.

2. Be careful with your diet and avoid eating greasy and fishy foods, such as shrimps (especially shrimps), crabs (swimming crabs), mandarin fish, yellow croaker, crucian carp, as well as fatty meat and lard. You should also eat less animal offal. Be careful when eating foods that may cause hair loss, such as Chinese mustard, celery, and fermented rice wine. In daily life, the sweet, salty, cold and hot aspects of diet should be moderate. Spicy foods can irritate the throat and cause severe coughing, choking, and cough variant asthma, so they should be taken with caution. Habits such as smoking and drinking should be given up.

3. What are the dietary principles for cough variant asthma? When choosing diet therapy, you must be careful, do your best, and take it patiently. It is best to use it correctly under the guidance of a doctor and never give up halfway. Experts say: The dietary treatment principles for cough variant asthma are as follows: First, patients with cough variant asthma should have a light diet and eat more fresh vegetables and fruits. Second, they should quit smoking and drinking. Third, they should persist and not give up halfway.

Generally speaking, variant asthma is easy to treat, but parents must pay attention to taking their children to the hospital for diagnosis in time, receiving treatment as early as possible, and asking for help from a doctor, so that the treatment effect can be better. In daily life, children should be kept away from allergens, especially in seasons when diseases are prevalent, and we should always pay attention to their physical health.