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Austin Daniels

English 1201

Joyce Barnes

March 21, 2021

Does asthma affect the development of children as they grow up?

Asthma is a chronic illness that affects many children's lives as they grow up and can

prevent a child from having a normal childhood. Therefore asthma does affect the lives of

children and can limit certain activities. Asthma also impairs a person's breathing during certain

events. This topic is important because many kids struggle to do normal exercise and daily

activities in their everyday life. Many people believe that Asthma can affect how children grow.

This includes what they can or can’t do and questions such as “is it safe for children to play

sports with asthma.” Some people argue that asthma has no real effect on how people grow up,

however, I find that to be false as a person that has asthma I know life isn't always easy.

Asthma was first discovered by Hippocrates in 100 A.C.E. and was first considered a

symptom rather than a chronic illness. In many of the earlier years, people were not sure what to

make out of asthma other than some people couldn’t breathe as well as others. It wasn’t till the

1900s when the first asthma case was treated, the person was given β2-adrenoceptor agonists as

treatment. As the years progressed there were further advancements to the treatments such as

albuterol inhalers and certain steroids. It is important to understand the history behind asthma as

it affects so many people and young children in today's society. In modern-day society, scientists
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consider asthma as a chronic illness that can affect the breathing patterns of people of all ages.

The sources in my work cited page explain the many symptoms, cures, and effects asthma has on

children and adults. Each source has research from a credible doctor or organization. These

sources will help people understand how asthma affects how children develop and grow

throughout their life.

Asthma is a chronic illness that affects the windpipe of a person and causes them trouble

when breathing. A common stereotype of someone with asthma would be “athletes with asthma

have a hard time playing” this is a true statement when it comes to athletes with asthma. In the

source, it states “ Increased immune system sensitivity causes the lungs and airways to swell and

produce mucus when exposed to certain triggers.” This quote shows what exactly causes an

asthma attack. Typically a trigger is something that is caused by an environmental factor or an

exercise and can cause an asthma attack. Asthma attacks are devastating to young athletes as

they can limit one’s ability to perform. This goes back to the airway closing, when physical

exercise is a factor there is always a risk of the airway tightening up and preventing the athlete

from breathing. It is important to understand the effects of exercise and sports and how they

relate to asthma attacks.

Just like Sport induced asthma attacks, there are other factors to trigger an asthma attack

such as certain frequents or smells. Some of the most notable causes for an asthma attack would

be any kind of smoking or secondhand smoking. According to the text, it states “Exposure to

environmental factors, such as cigarette smoke or other air pollution.” This is very important to

know, especially as a parent. If you have a young child diagnosed with asthma and happens to be
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around someone smoking it could potentially put that child's life in danger. Other scents or

fragrances can trigger an asthma attack as well. One example of this would be any kind of

cologne or perfume. In most schools across America, they ban the use of spray-on cologne or

perfume in locker rooms as it is a hazard to students with asthma. Another example of a scent or

fragrance would be scented hand sanitizer or wipes. These can cause big problems to people with

asthma as the substance or wipe get on their hand and have a constant scent that could threaten

the person's life.

Another trigger to an asthma attack is temperature and environmental factors. Asthma

can be triggered based on the quality of air or temperature. According to the article, it states

“Frequent coughing that worsens when your child has a viral infection, occurs while your child is

asleep or is triggered by exercise or cold air.” This shows how weather can affect whether or not

a child has a trigger and has an asthma attack. Cold air is a common trigger to most people with

asthma. The article states “Cold air can especially affect you if you have exercise-induced

bronchoconstriction (EIB). It is also called exercise-induced asthma.” This comes to shows that

if a child was to be outside in cold weather that they could be at risk for an asthma attack. Hot air

is just as common as cold air when it comes to triggering asthma. The article says “Hot, humid

air can cause asthma symptoms as well. Humidity helps common allergens like dust mites and

mold thrive, aggravating allergic asthma.” This shows that hot air can also affect whether a kid

could contract an asthma attack. Cold air and hot air can both be triggers to asthma attacks. That

being said these factors have a big impact on when a kid can be outside and could prevent them

from doing everyday activities.

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It is imperative to have an asthma preventative plan to help just in case a person has an

asthma attack. Asthma is a serious condition that could potentially be life-threatening, that being

said it would be smart to create a plan as soon as a person gets diagnosed with asthma.

According to the article, it states “The Asthma Action Plan is important to the success of asthma

control. Keep it handy to remind you of your child's daily asthma management plan and to guide

you when your child develops asthma symptoms.” This quote helps describe the importance of

having a plan put in place, without it a child or adult’s life could be in danger. Some of the

treatments available to patients with asthma vary with age. The first and most common treatment

would be an albuterol inhaler. This is a special inhaler that gets medicine directly to the lungs

allowing for the windpipe to loosen up. This type of treatment is called a reliever. The other type

of treatment would be called a preventer. This would be a medication that would allow for a

person to take one pill every day to make it less likely of having an asthma attack. Finding

treatment is very important because without a plan one’s life could be a risk.

One thing all children need is sleep to function in daily life activities. One thing that

asthma does is prevent this from happening. Asthma is known to close a person’s windpipe

making it hard for the person to breathe. The same thing is true when sleeping. In the article it

explains “Trouble sleeping due to shortness of breath, coughing or wheezing.” This is important

to note because if a child doesn’t get enough sleep this could impact how the child performs in

school or interact with people. Another effect of asthma and how it can alter sleep is the physical

wear it can have on a child’s body. The article states “Fatigue, which can be due to poor sleep.”

this is important as well because it is hurting the child’s physical health and preventing them
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from having lots of energy. It is clear that asthma can negatively impact the health and growth of

a child by affecting the sleep and energy a child receives.

Asthma in itself is a chronic illness however, it can also amplify other sicknesses and

make them worse. Asthma affects the lungs and windpipe, as a result, can make any sinus

infection, cough, or flu way worse than it had to be. The article shows that “Bouts of coughing or

wheezing that get worse with a cold or the flu.” This is important because asthma can make

common illnesses such as the flu, common cold, and coughs ten times worse and make the child

miserable. This is bad for the child because this is a big health risk, it could make a simple

sickness a life-threatening illness. Another thing asthma can do is cause bronchitis. Bronchitis is

a sickness that makes a person cough excessively and chest hurt. The article states “Delayed

recovery or bronchitis after a respiratory infection.” This is a miserable illness and can not only

affect the children that have asthma, but the cough could affect other kids during school trying to

pay attention. Asthma can make normal illnesses into a sickness that can ruin a child’s life if not

treated right. Therefore, Asthma can affect the well-being of a child and the physical health as

well.

Asthma is a chronic illness that can only be obtained from a parent having asthma or

environmental factors. Asthma cannot be spread like a disease rather is most likely passed down

from a family member or environmental factors. In the text, it states “Exposure to environmental

factors, such as cigarette smoke or other air pollution.” This is important because to prevent

asthma people have to know what causes it. When young children are exposed to certain things

such as bad air quality and smoking it could result in the child developing asthma. Another cause
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of asthma could be a respiratory infection as an infant. The article states “Some types of airway

infections at a very young age.” This is important because knowing if a child had an infection

could help predict if the child could possibly develop asthma. People must know the cause of

asthma because asthma is such an impactful chronic illness and could affect how a child interacts

with the world.

Asthma is something that should be prevented at all costs as the risks of children

developing it could impact them their whole life. Parents should be aware of how to prevent

asthma as asthma is a serious condition. The article states “Don't allow smoking around your

child. Exposure to tobacco smoke during infancy is a strong risk factor for childhood asthma, as

well as a common trigger of asthma attacks.” This is one of the most important things to listen to

in order to prevent asthma. If you keep things such as smoking and vaping away from an infant

or young kid, it would decrease the chance of the child obtaining asthma. Asthma can also be

prevented by keeping children away from allergens. The text says “Limit exposure to asthma

triggers. Help your child avoid the allergens and irritants that trigger asthma symptoms.” This

shows that being exposed to allergens could affect the life of that child. Another important cause

to prevent asthma would be good physical exercise and weight control. The author states

“Encourage your child to be active. As long as your child's asthma is well-controlled, regular

physical activity can help the lungs to work more efficiently. Help your child maintain a healthy

weight. Being overweight can worsen asthma symptoms, and it puts your child at risk of other

health problems.” This shows that weight and constant exercise is a great way to prevent the

development of asthma in children.

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Asthma is directly linked to depression and panic attacks. This is very bad because both

of these things are very bad for a child's mental health. The article states that “It is not

uncommon for people with chronic illness to develop feelings of depression and anxiety, and

panic disorder.” This comes to show that asthma is more than just a breathing disorder, it also

can severely impact a child's emotional state. People must understand the effects of what asthma

can do to a child not only physically but mentally. The text states “Having a potentially

life-threatening disease such as severe asthma also increases anxiety and depression in many

patients and may trigger panic attacks in some.” This shows that a child can go through a lot of

stress and emotion based on a chronic illness. It is important to make sure to get kids into therapy

or some sort of counseling due to the mental strain the child may go through. Having the

pressures of asthma and all of the other symptoms can not only be physically draining, but

mentally draining as well. The author states “In addition, people with depression and anxiety are

often physically and emotionally drained, which may limit their ability to self-manage their

asthma.” Understanding what a kid with asthma goes through both physically and mentally is

important in order to help the kid and support him.

Asthma is a chronic illness that can be treated, however, has its trade-offs. Asthma can be

treated with certain steroids in order to control asthma attacks. This is important to know because

those steroids have been linked to causing depression/anxiety in children and young adults. The

article states “People with severe steroid-dependent asthma have significantly more anxiety and

depression symptoms than people with non-steroid dependent severe asthma or mild-moderate

asthma.” This is problematic because there is a cure to panic attacks however, anxiety and

depression is a side effect. This comes to shows the effects asthma can have on children
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especially as they grow and develop into young adults. The text states “A recent study found 3.5

times higher depression symptoms and 2 times higher anxiety symptoms in individuals with

steroid-dependent severe asthma compared to non-steroid dependent people.” This is another

great example of how asthma is affecting children's growth and development. Children with

asthma endure so much pressure just because they happened to contract this horrible chronic

illness.

Not only is asthma affecting how children grow and react physically it also affects the

mental state of the children. Asthma has a long list of negatives in regards to what it can do to

prohibit a child's activities. That being said asthma can affect how a student feels when it comes

to school. In the article, the text states “Many children with asthma miss school days. When this

happens, have your child call a friend to ask about the work he or she missed.” This explains that

children with asthma also are being overwhelmed with school work because they are not able to

attend school due to an asthma attack or bronchitis. Another great example of asthma affecting a

child's mental state is an embarrassment. The author states “Children may be embarrassed about

taking medicine at school. It may be less embarrassing if your child can take the medicine at

home or is allowed to keep the medicine with him or her at school.” This shows that because

asthma kids don’t have as good self-esteem due to their medications they may have to be at

school. This could lead to bullying or depression depending on the situation. Asthma kids often

feel different or lonely as they do not get to do some of the activities a normal kid could. The text

states that “Children may feel they are different from their peers because of the need to avoid

situations that trigger asthma symptoms, such as going to the homes of friends who have pets.”
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This is very important as all kids should be happy and participate in all activities. This is why

asthma can affect how kids grow and develop as it makes them feel like an outcast.

Although there is a lot of evidence of asthma affecting a child's development, there are

also claims that asthma is not that big of a factor when it comes to a child's growth and

development. One example is that asthma is very easy to prevent. In the article, it states

“preventers that slowly make the airways less sensitive to triggers by reducing swelling and

mucus inside the airways – these are taken daily.” This claim states that the use of a preventative

can make it so children don’t have to worry about asthma attacks. Although this claim provides

some merit this is not accurate, preventatives can help prevent an asthma attack from happening

however, do not guarantee that a person may still not have one. Another claim that asthma does

not affect the growth and development of children is that asthma attacks are easily treatable after

they commence. In the text, it states “relievers that act quickly to relax the tight muscles around

the airways – this is the medication used during asthma first aid.” This supports the claim that

asthma attacks can be treated very easily and efficiently, however, this is incorrect. An asthma

inhaler is used to treat an asthma attack during it, this does not mean, however, that it can 100%

get rid of the asthma attack. There is still a chance the albuterol inhaler doesn't work and the

person may stop breathing. It is very important that people understand the importance of asthma

and that it can be very harmful to the development of children.

Asthma is a very important chronic illness to understand as it can affect the lives of both

children and adults. Thanks to research done by organizations such as Mayo Clinic, Cleveland

Clinic, NCBI, Better health, and Asthma Allergies asthma can be treated properly and help all
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people that have a chronic illness. There are plenty of misconceptions about asthma. One

misconception would be giving up exercise, however, this is false. Exercise is good for the body

and can help condition the body so that asthma attacks don’t happen as often. Another

misconception of asthma would be children can outgrow asthma and would happen to be false.

Asthma never goes away and can flare up at any time in a person's life. One big misconception

of asthma would be asthma is only treatable during an attack, this is false. Asthma has a

treatment called a preventative, it is a medication that you take once a day and can help prevent

an asthma attack. In conclusion, Asthma is a condition that can impact the growth and

development of a child as it can inhibit exercise or daily life. Asthma is a chronic illness that

should be treated as soon as possible as it can put the lives of anyone who has it in danger.

Asthma is a chronic illness that has affected their daily lives in ways that most people

couldn't even imagine. Asthma has affected the growth and development of children all across

the globe. The chronic illness has affected how children play sports, go to school, interact

outside, and their mental state. Asthma although very treatable and bearable is still a terrible

illness to have as it has way more negative impacts on children. It is important to learn about the

damage asthma can have on the growth and development of children and do everything in

people's power to prevent kids from developing Asthma.

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