A young boy ends up in hospital almost every year "gasping for breath" due to a long-term condition.
Rebecca Grandison, 42, said she has to take her seven-year-old son Wilfred to hospital almost every year in September because of his asthma, which is often triggered by colds and flu, as well as changes in the weather. She has spoken of the traumatic experience as the number of life-threatening asthma attacks is predicted to soar in the coming week, Cheshire Live reports.
Parents of children with asthma are being urged to take action. According to Asthma and Lung UK, year-on-year there are spikes in hospital admissions for asthma attacks in September after children return to school.
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Concerned mum Rebecca, from Cheshire, said: "I dread his return to school as I know he’ll have an asthma attack and it’s awful watching him experience one. No mother wants to see her son gasping for breath and no matter how many times it happens it never gets any easier watching someone you love so much struggling to breathe.
"I usually have to rush him to hospital or call for an ambulance if his inhalers don’t help enough which is awful."
Parents are being urged to make sure their children are taking their medicine as prescribed. Rebecca added: "We manage Wilf’s asthma well over the summer holidays because I can limit his exposure to things which triggers an asthma attack.
"But once he goes to school, he is mixing with lots of other children who have coughs and colds, and he is exposed to the cold air when he is playing in the school playground which leaves him wheezing and gasping for breath. I want to help raise awareness of the increased risk for children with asthma around September, so parents know how important it is to stay on top of their children’s asthma during the summer holidays and continue giving them the medication they need."
Asthma triggers
In 2016, the latest data available, 1,795 children were admitted to hospitals in England with asthma in September, a sharp rise from the 435 admitted in August. The main factor could be children being exposed to cold and flu viruses upon returning to school or youngsters falling out of their usual routine of taking their preventer inhaler during the summer break.
According to the NHS, asthma is a common lung condition that causes occasional breathing difficulties in people of all ages. There's currently no cure, but there are simple treatments that can help keep the symptoms under control so it does not have a big impact on your life.
Common asthma triggers include:
- allergies (to house dust mites, animal fur or pollen, for example)
- smoke, pollution and cold air
- exercise
- infections like colds or flu
Identifying and avoiding your asthma triggers can help you keep your symptoms under control. But badly controlled asthma can cause problems such as fatigue, underperformance, stress, disruption and lung infections. More information can be found here.
Emma Rubach, head of health advice at Asthma and Lung UK, said: "Returning to school should be an exciting time for children, and the last thing any parent wants is to see is their child in hospital fighting for their life after an asthma attack. But when children do go back after the summer holidays, they can be exposed to more things that can trigger their asthma. Colds and flu viruses and dust mites are some of the biggest culprits.
"Some children may fall out of their usual preventer inhaler routines over the summer break which can leave them much more vulnerable to an asthma attack. The best thing parents can do is to prevent their children having an asthma attack is to ensure they take their preventer inhaler, usually brown, every day as prescribed, this helps calm the inflammation in their airways and reduces the risk of an asthma attack."
Emma urges parents to ensure their children has their inhaler on their person in school and ensure children have their yearly review with their GP. More advice and support can be found on the Asthma and Lung UK website.
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