Asthma is a condition in which the immune system reacts abnormally to otherwise innocuous stimuli, such as pollen, dust and cold air. When this happens, the airways become inflamed, which makes it difficult to breathe. Asthma usually starts during childhood and gradually subsides as the patient gets older.
Rescue Inhaler
Rescue inhalers are used as a short-term solution for acute asthma attacks in children. As MedlinePlus explains, these medications are referred to as short-term bronchodilators because they cause the airways (the bronchioles) to relax. The most common short-term bronchodilator is albuterol. Other short-term bronchodilators use levalbuterol and pirbuterol.
Inhaled Corticosteroids
Another kind of inhaled medication that can be used to treat childhood asthma is inhaled corticosteroids. As MayoClinic.com explains, corticosteroids work by suppressing the immune system's inflammatory response, thus helping reduce the narrowing of the airway. These medications, which include fluticasone and triamcinolone, must be taken every day to be effective.
Other Inhaled Medications
Many other treatments for childhood asthma are also inhaled, as this allows them to act directly on the bronchioles. Long-term bronchodilators such as salmeterol, for example, work to relax the airway in the same way that the short-term bronchodilators do, but they have longer-lasting effects. Leukotriene modifiers, including montelukast, block part of the immune response that leads to asthma attacks. Cromolyn is another inhalable medication that can be used to block the cells that trigger asthma attacks. These other medications are typically taken along with inhaled corticosteroids for long-term asthma control.
Inhalers
Inhaled medications for childhood asthma are usually given using metered dose inhalers, which deliver a consistent dose of asthma medication that is propelled by compressed air. Most of these medications now use hydrofluoroalkanes as their propellant because these gases do not harm the environment, unlike chlorofluorocarbon gases. Young children and infants may need to have the medication delivered to them via a special mask or a tube called a spacer, which helps them inhale the medication.
Immunotherapy
Another option for treating childhood asthma is called immunotherapy. With this kind of treatment, the affected child is given periodic injections of the compounds that trigger asthma attacks. This repeated exposure to asthma triggers gradually desensitizes the immune system to the molecules, which results in decreased asthma symptoms.
