Center for Childhood Asthma
What is childhood asthma?
Childhood asthma (pediatric asthma) is the most common chronic childhood ailment, with nearly 9 million children affected by this condition in the United States. Asthma involves tightening of the airways in the chest. Cases can be mild, only causing a cough and some wheezing, or they can be severe, greatly reducing and impairing breathing function. There is no cure for asthma, but it can be controlled through proper diagnosis and treatment.
Pediatric asthma is easiest to control when it has been diagnosed and treated early. If your child is experiencing symptoms of asthma, contact the Center for Childhood Asthma at Cohen Children’s as soon as possible.
Symptoms may include:
- Recurrent or persistent coughing
- Wheezing or whistling when exhaling
- Shortness of breath
- Chest congestion or tightness
- Trouble sleeping caused by above symptoms
- Bouts of coughing or wheezing that get worse with a respiratory infection, cold or flu
- Delayed recovery after respiratory infection
- Fatigue or trouble breathing during active play or exercise
An asthma attack is usually triggered by an event or substance.
Triggers can include:
- Food allergies
- Pollen allergies
- Environmental pollutants
- Viral and respiratory infections
- Tobacco smoke
- Exercise
- Changes in weather conditions
- Extreme stress
- Emotional reactions
Our approach
Our multidisciplinary approach brings together insights from pediatric allergists and pulmonologists, in addition to pediatric nurse specialists and respiratory therapists, who are asthma educators. Our team’s shared goal is to create and maintain a successful care plan that gives your child maximum control of their asthma. We will also provide your pediatrician with updates on your child’s treatment plan and progress—so all you need to focus on is your child and their well-being.
Diagnosis
To diagnose your child’s asthma, and to provide the most effective treatment, we offer pulmonary function testing and complete allergy testing. This can include tests that measure how much and how quickly your child exhales, levels of allergic inflammation in the lungs, and skin and blood testing for allergies from food, drugs and environmental triggers.
Treatment
After diagnosis, our specialists work together to provide a personalized, detailed treatment plan that addresses all aspects of your child’s asthma. This includes allergic and non-allergic triggers, sinus disease, anatomical abnormalities and sleep apnea. The goal of treatment is to get your child’s asthma symptoms under control so that they are not disruptive to daily life.
Asthma treatment aims to prevent and treat flare-ups, also known as exacerbations. The first line of defense is daily preventive medication. These can be inhaled corticosteroids, leukotriene modifiers, and combination inhalers. The second line of defense is rescue or fast acting inhalers, such as short-acting beta antagonists, ipratropium and oral and intravenous corticosteroids. At our center, when the medications are prescribed, the doctor will explain what the medication does, how it is administered and possible side effects. We encourage you to ask any questions you may have. Beyond the basic treatment of asthma, allergen immunotherapy and biologic therapy are provided as options for treatment in difficult cases.
Our specialists are committed to discovering advancements in science that can help children like yours. All our physicians are involved in cutting-edge research to better understand the pathophysiology of childhood asthma, and patients will have the opportunity to participate in research studies.
Our team
Gina Theresa Coscia, MD
