How To Know When To Take Your Child With Asthma To The Hospital

How do I know when to take my child with asthma to the hospital?

When people or children end up in the hospital with asthma it's usually because they haven't been diagnosed; this may be their first asthma attack, so they aren't on any medication and haven't been given any action plan. Or, it's a child who is constantly using their beta agonists; their short-acting bronchodilator, instead of adding the medications they really do need to help treat their asthma. So, if your child is having coughing, wheezing, or shortness of breath, that is not responding to the medications; if they are losing their ability to stay awake, which means that they're not getting enough oxygen; or if they're breathing very rapidly and the muscles between their ribs are going in and out; those are all signs that there's an impending severe attack. It is always better to seek emergency care, even if you don't need it, than to not seek it and have a disaster occur in the house.