Asthma ‘spike’ looms as school year nears

With the new school year around the corner, parents of asthmatic kids are bracing for the “September spike.”

The annual asthma flare-up accounts for an estimated 25 per cent of children’s emergency room admissions in September, according to the B.C. Lung Association.

Asthma attacks spike in September when kids return to school. (Canadian Press)There are several causes for the flare-up, including stress, exposure to animal dander, the onset of cold and flu season and triggers inside the classroom, according to the association’s Menn Biagtan.

“With classrooms closed all summer long, there are the possibilities of moulds growing in, some bacteria growing in,” she said, and they can cause symptoms that range from mild to life-threatening. Chemicals used to battle the moulds and bacteria also play a role.

The kids “cough, they wheeze, or most of the time they also feel tightness of the chest or on the chest or sometimes can also lead to shortness of breath,” Biagten told CBC News.

Parents can help reduce the likelihood of a major asthma attack, Biagten said.

“Parents should make sure the asthma is well-controlled: They make sure [their children] take their preventers regularly, and make sure that medications are up to date.”

Keeping instructors informed is also important, she said.

“Make sure that the instructor or the school nurse comprehend what this child’s trigger is and what could possibly bring on the asthma and what to do,” Biagten said.

“And make sure that they leave the name of the emergency contact person just in case something happens.”

With files from the CBC’s Devon Goodsell

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Submited at Sunday, September 5th, 2010 at 9:00 am on Health by ethan
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