Back to school with asthma

From: http://www.lung.ca/media-medias/news-nouvelles_e.php?id=160

Back to school with asthma
How to avoid the "September spike" in asthma symptoms

Buying new school supplies is a late summer ritual for many parents. But for parents of children with asthma, getting ready for school also means getting prepared for the “September spike” – the annual peak in asthma flare-ups that sends hundreds of school children and their family members to emergency rooms in the weeks after school begins.

In Canada, between 20 to 25 per cent of children’s hospital admissions for asthma happen in September.

Doctors think the cold virus is the main cause for asthma flare-ups in September. When children go back to school, they’re in close quarters with many other kids – and the viruses they carry. Viruses, including the common cold, are the number one cause of asthma flare-ups in kids. For kids with asthma, especially uncontrolled asthma, a simple cold can lead to dangerous symptoms and unscheduled visits to the doctor or emergency room.

School children bring cold germs home from school and spread them to their parents and younger siblings. Doctors think this spread of cold germs explains why there’s a small rise in preschoolers’ and adults’ asthma flare-up in late September, soon after the spike in school kids’ flare-ups.

"Washing your hands properly and frequently is the best line of defence for everyone against any kind of cold or flu," says Dr. Peter MacLeod, medical spokesperson for the Canadian Lung Association.

Other possible causes for September flare-ups:

not taking preventer medicine as prescribed
the stress of returning to school
allergic triggers at school, like cat dander on kids’ clothes, mould and dust
more pollution as school buses and commuters return in full force

New data shows that the use of asthma preventer medicine (inhaled corticosteroids) drops in the summer by 60 per cent1 . When they don’t get regular asthma preventer medicine, children may have swollen airways. If the children catch a virus, their swollen airways are less able to fight it off.

If your child has asthma but has not been taking his or her medication during the summer, now is the time to start. It’s important to have your child’s asthma symptoms are under good control. That way, if your child does catch a cold or the flu, your child’s lungs will be better at fighting it off.

Doctors think flu season may start earlier than usual this year. They expect that there will be a lot of H1N1 flu this fall and winter, on top of the seasonal flu we usually see every year. The good news is that all the steps you take to prepare for the September epidemic will also help protect your child and family against H1N1 and seasonal flu. So keep giving your child her medicine, making sure your family members wash their hands properly and often, and taking other steps to cut down on germs.

How to prepare your child with asthma for back-to-school

Help protect your child from the September spike by making sure she has good asthma control all year round:

Teach your child and everyone in your family, how to fight germs by washing hands properly. Keep viruses in check with proper hand washing – use plenty of liquid soap and running water, or hand sanitizer. Rub hands for at least 20 seconds.
Know your child's asthma triggers and how to avoid them
Make sure that your child is taking his or her asthma preventer medicine as prescribed.
Check the expiry date on medicines and replace if necessary.
Have a written asthma action plan and know how to use it. You can download an asthma action plan and ask a doctor or certified asthma educator to explain how to use it.
See your doctor or health-care provider if your child’s action plan or medicine need adjusting.
Work with a certified asthma educator to learn how to better manage asthma. Search this online directory to find an asthma clinic or asthma education program in your area.
Make sure your child and family members get the regular seasonal flu shot and H1N1 flu (swine flu) shot as soon as they are available.
Make sure school and daycare staff know about your child’s asthma
Talk to teachers and daycare staff about your child’s asthma, preferably before classes start.

Give teachers and caregivers a copy of your child’s asthma action plan and explain how to use it.
Explain your child’s triggers and usual symptoms.
Teach them what to do in an emergency.
Make sure your child’s rescue medicine (blue puffer) is always nearby.
Ask that they remind children to wash their hands properly.

Learn more
Asthma and children
Asthma at school
Special advice on H1N1 flu (swine flu) for people with asthma
Download our asthma handbook
Find asthma programs near you: use our search tool to find asthma support groups, asthma clinics, and asthma education centres in your area.

References

1. Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, Volume 102, Number 3, March 2009 - Seasonal patterns in health care use and pharmaceutical claims for asthma prescriptions for preschool - and school-aged children pp. 198-204(7)