Asthma Treatment in Kids

Children with mild persistent asthma have symptoms more often than is desirable, so they should be on daily "control" medications to try to decrease the frequency and severity of symptoms.

For control (prevention) of symptoms, the following are recommended for older children with mild persistent asthma:

• Preferred treatment -- low-dose inhaled steroid
• Alternative treatment -- cromolyn, a leukotriene modifier, nedocromil, or theophylline.

All children with asthma may need occasional "rescue" medications to treat asthma "attacks," occasional periods of asthma symptoms, often triggered by a viral infection (such as the common cold), exposure to an allergen (for example, pets or pollens), or exposure to an irritant (such as cigarette smoke).

For quick relief of symptoms in older children, use a short-acting inhaled (breathed-in) beta-2 agonist first. If the symptoms are severe, or the child has had severe attacks in the past, a short course of steroids given by mouth or directly into the bloodstream may be recommended.

Click below for more information on the treatments recommended above.

Short-acting beta-2 agonists

Steroids

Cromolyn

Nedocromil

Leukotriene modifiers

Theophylline

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Online Medical Reviewer: Faculty of Harvard Medical School Date Last Reviewed: 9/6/2006 Date Last Modified: 8/30/2006 Source: from Harvard Health Decision Guides, Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.

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