McMaster researcher explains fall asthma spike among children

Did your child experience a nasty asthma flare-up this fall?

If so, you are not alone, according toa researcher at McMaster University.

"It's after the return of school, generally, that children that will experience anexacerbation of their symptoms and need to visit a doctor or the hospital," said Susan Waserman, a clinical immunologist.

"It may be as many as 25 per cent of kids with asthma."

Asthma hospitalizations in Canada peak aroundtwo-and-a-halfweeks after Labour Day, she said.

Why is this the case?

Waserman said parents often allow the children a break from their asthma drugs during the summer. This leaves the youngsters vulnerable when they return to school, where germs pass easily from child to child.

"Many of them in the summer take a holiday from their drugs, so children often come into school without the proper medication on board."

September, Waserman noted, isalso peak cold season, which tapers off as fall progresses.

December represents the end of the spike in asthma episodes, she added.Viruses that are more prevalent during the winter "are not as prone to flaring up asthma."

In the mid-2000s, Waserman was involved with a study by Hamilton's Firestone Clinic for Respiratory Health that examined the effects of starting children on a regimen of montelukast, an asthma drug, around the end of August.

"Those who received the drug had a 75 per cent reduction in flare-ups," Waserman said, adding the treatment was beneficial for children who were already being treated with steroidal puffers.

Be prepared

So what can you do to help ensure your kids breathe easier next year?

"What I recommend is for parents to keep in touch with their physician and that they medicate appropriately with the doctor's instructions," Wasermansaid.

"If they are asthmatic,kids shouldbe prepared with proper medication before going to back school."

And telling them to wash their hands wouldn't hurt, either.