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Factsheet - Asthma - What is Asthma


What Is Asthma

Disclaimer: This fact sheet is for education purposes only. Please consult with your doctor or other health professional to make sure this information is right for your child.

  • Asthma is a breathing problem. One in six children in Australia have asthma.
  • Children with asthma have sensitive or "twitchy" airways in their lungs.
  • When exposed to certain triggers, the airways react causing three things to happen:
    • Airway muscle tightens
    • Airway lining becomes inflamed and swollen
    • Excess mucous builds up
    • This causes the airways to become narrow making it difficult to breathe

(Adapted version of Airway illustration, Prince of Wales Hospital Dept Respiratory Medicine,)

Asthma Symptoms

Asthma Attack Severity Symptoms
Mild attack Cough, soft wheeze, minor difficulty breathing, no difficulty speaking in sentences
Moderate attack Persistent cough, loud wheeze, obvious difficulty in breathing, able to speak in short sentences only
Severe attack Very distressed and anxious, gasping for breath, unable to speak more than a few words in one breath, pale and sweaty, may have blue lips

Follow your child's asthma action plan if any of the above symptoms are experienced. If you are concerned, have any doubts or do not have an asthma action plan, follow the Asthma First Aid Plan below. All severe asthma attacks require medical attention immediately.

Asthma First Aid Plan

  1. Sit the person upright and reassure. Do not leave the person alone.
  2. Give 4 separate puffs of a blue reliever puffer (Airomir, Asmol, Ventolin, Epaq), one puff at a time through a spacer, with 4 breaths in between each puff. Use the blue puffer on its own if a spacer is not available.
  3. Wait four minutes
  4. If there is little or no improvement, repeat steps 2 and 3. If there is still little or no improvement, call an ambulance. Continue to repeat steps 2 and 3 until an ambulance arrives.
Source: The Children's Asthma Resource Pack for Parents and Carers, June 2006
NSW Paediatric Network
Kids Health (CHW) Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick Kaleidoscope, Hunter Children's Health Network
The Children's Hospital at Westmead
Tel: (02) 9845 3585
Fax: (02) 9845 3562
www.chw.edu.au		 Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick
Tel: (02) 9382 1688
Fax: (02) 9382 1451
www.sch.edu.au		 Kaleidoscope, Hunter Children's Health Network
Tel: (02) 4921 3670
Fax: (02) 4921 3599
www.kaleidoscope.org.au

© The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick
& Kaleidoscope, Hunter Children's Health Network - 2005-2009.

This document was updated on Wednesday, 4 August 2010.

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