DIAGNOSING ASTHMA

There’s no single test for asthma, so it can be hard to diagnose the condition in a young child, says Dr. Galant, CHOC’s Asthma, Allergy and Immunology specialist, noting that symptoms are sometimes mistaken for another illness. “The most important diagnostic findings include a chronic or intermittent cough that comes on in the middle of the night and after exercise,” Dr. Galant says. “These kids also have wheezing and they respond to a bronchodilator, which opens the airways and stops the symptoms.” In addition, children with asthma often have allergies, eczema or a family history of asthma, says Dr. Galant.

TREATMENT ACTION PLAN

Effective treatment requires a comprehensive approach and it’s best to have a written treatment action plan, Dr. Galant says. Treatment can include regular medications and regular checks for lung and breathing function, as well as written instructions for when the child needs “rescue” medications and when to call the doctor. “We want to have few symptoms, no hospitalizations or emergency room visits and little use of the bronchodilator,” says Dr. Galant. Highly allergic patients may also benefit from allergy shots to help reduce sensitivity to allergens.

AVOIDING ASTHMA TRIGGERS

Since asthma is often due to an allergic response, children with asthma should also be tested for allergies to help identify allergens that can trigger an asthma attack, says Dr. Galant. “There are allergens and non-allergen triggers. Children can be allergic to foods as well as indoor allergens like dust, and cats. Nonallergic triggers include the common cold virus and environmental tobacco smoke,” he says. Knowing a child’s allergic triggers can help the family make changes at home to minimize the child’s exposure to allergens and avoid asthma triggers.

COULD MY CHILD HAVE ASTHMA?

Your child should be checked for asthma if he or she experiences the following symptoms:

• Chronic or persistent coughing at night
• Coughing, wheezing or shortness of breath during or after exercise
• Wheezing

FAST FACTS

• Approximate number of children in the United States who die from asthma each year: 200
• Percentage of children nationwide with asthma: 10 – 12 %
• Percentage of underserved, inner-city elementary school-aged children in Orange County with asthma: 20 – 30 %

Dr. Stanley Galant is the medical director of CHOC Children’s Breathmobile, CHOC’s mobile asthma treatment van. He is a clinical professor of pediatrics at UC Irvine and is the former director of pediatric allergy and immunology at UCI.

Dr. Galant did pediatric residencies at Los Angeles Children’s Hospital and the UC San Francisco Medical Center. He had a fellowship in allergy/immunology at UCSF and was a medical fellow with the UCSF Medical Center’s pediatric radiology department and Cardiovascular Research Institute. The Hospital Association of Southern California named Dr. Galant a 2007 “Hospital Hero” for bringing the Breathmobile to Orange County.

Dr. Galant’s philosophy of care: “Our program is unique and provides access to preventative asthma care. To treat our patients satisfactorily and manage a chronic disease like asthma, we build trust and bonds with our patients.”

EDUCATION
University of California Medical School, San Francisco

BOARD CERTIFICATIONS
Pediatrics Allergy/Immunology

Your 7-year-old son loves baseball and can’t wait to join the local Little League team. Your daughter is a big soccer fan and all her fourth-grade friends play soccer after school, so she wants to play soccer also. Both kids have asthma. What to do? Just because your children have asthma does not mean they can’t participate in any sports or physical activities.