Asthma Condition Management: What does it Mean to Have Good Control?

Good asthma condition management is about more than making sure your child takes prescribed asthma medicines. Its about more than doing your best in spite of his or her symptoms. Its about understanding the asthma symptoms children commonly experience and preventing them; knowing your childs asthma triggers; and helping your child follow the treatment plan even when he or she feels well.

Good Control Asthma Checklist

• How are you and your child doing with asthma condition management? Use this checklist:
• Your child only needs to use quick-relief asthma medicines two days a week or less.
• There are no limitations to your childs physical activity.
• Your child doesnt display chronic asthma symptoms (such as coughing or wheezing) during the day, night or after exercising.
• Your child doesnt wake up during the night because of asthma.
• Your childs peak flow meter reading is regularly in the Green Zone.
• The asthma medicines have not had an adverse effect on your child.
• Your child has not had the need to go to the emergency room or an urgent care facility because of asthma symptoms.
• You are satisfied with the asthma support provided by your childs health care provider.
• Your child visits the physician regularly to monitor his or her asthma condition management and therapy.

When it comes to asthma symptoms, children should not experience wheezing, disturbed sleep, coughing or other associated symptoms more than three days out of the month. If this is happening, you need to revise your childs asthma condition management strategy with a health care provider. Even though asthma is a chronic condition, good management is not about your child living with asthma symptoms. Its about living symptom-free.