The common symptoms of asthma include:
- feeling breathless
- wheezing (there may be a whistling sound when your child breathes)
- coughing, particularly at night
- tightness in the chest
Symptoms vary between people and children may have one or more of these symptoms. If symptoms become worse during the night or with exercise, your child's asthma may not be well controlled. Take your child to see their doctor or asthma nurse.
When asthma gets worse
When symptoms of asthma get significantly worse, this may be the start of an asthma attack. The symptoms of a severe asthma attack sometimes develop slowly, taking 6-48 hours to become serious. For some people, asthma can get worse very quickly.
Be aware of any signs of worsening asthma in your child. These may include:
- an increase in symptoms, such as your child becoming more wheezy, tight chested or breathless
- the reliever inhaler (usually blue) not helping as much as usual
- a drop in peak expiratory flow rate (see the Asthma in children - diagnosis for more information).
If you notice your child's symptoms are getting worse, do not ignore them. Contact your GP or asthma clinic.
What to do in a severe asthma attack
Symptoms of a severe asthma attack include:
- the reliever inhaler does not help symptoms at all
- the symptoms (wheezing, coughing, tight chest) will be severe and constant
- breathing very fast and too breathless to complete a sentence in one breath or too breathless to talk or feed
- a racing pulse
- feeling agitated or restless
- lips or finger nails may look blue
Call 999 for an ambulance if your child has severe symptoms of asthma.
You may be advised to give extra doses of the reliever inhaler while you are waiting for the ambulance.
