The Asthma Program
Evaluation and treatment of lung and breathing problems
The Asthma Program is part of the Division of Pulmonary Medicine. We specialize in the care of babies, children and young adults with lung and breathing problems.
You may bring your child to see us if she has asthma or is having problems with coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath or chest tightness. You may also want to bring your child to see us for a second opinion if your child has already been diagnosed with asthma. We can evaluate your child's current treatment plan, perform special breathing tests (spirometry) and provide asthma education and ongoing asthma management. If we determine that your child does not have asthma, we will refer your child to another program in the Division of Pulmonary Medicine or another program at the Hospital.
The child-parent-Asthma Program partnership
The key to controlling asthma is proper treatment and education
In the Asthma program, we partner with children who have asthma and their families to bring asthma under the best possible control. We believe children with asthma should be able to play without restrictions; participate in sports; get a good night sleep without being bothered by symptoms; should not need to be absent from school because of asthma and should not need sick visits, treatment in an emergency room or hospitalizations.
If your child has asthma, you should:
- Be able to name your child's medications and describe what each medication does
- Know how and when to give your child the medications
- Know what to do when your child has symptoms
- Know how to inform your child's school nurse about any medications that your child needs to take while at school or in child care or before participating in gym or sports.
- Be able to identify actions that you may need to take at home to decrease your child's exposure to triggers such as secondhand smoke, animals and dust.
State-of-the-art asthma treatment
Part of National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's National Asthma Education and Prevention Program is a group of asthma experts who review all the latest research and put out guidelines and standards for asthma treatment. We follow these guidelines and standards to make sure that we are providing the best possible asthma care.