Speak to your child’s GP if you’re worried about your child’s asthma symptoms
Always talk to your child’s GP or nurse if your child is having asthma symptoms. Together you can talk about ways to manage your child’s asthma well.
Find out more about getting a GP appointment.
What is severe asthma in children?
Most children can manage their asthma well by using a steroid preventer inhaler every day as prescribed. They also need to use a reliever inhaler when they get asthma symptoms or have an asthma attack.
A small number of children have severe asthma. Severe asthma is a type of asthma which is harder to control, even with high doses of medicines. It’s considered a disability under the Equality Act.
Children with severe asthma usually need a higher dose of steroid medicine in their preventer inhaler, as well as add-on treatments alongside their usual medicines. They’re more likely to experience asthma symptoms and are at more risk of asthma attacks. They’re also more likely to need treatment in hospital.
If your child has severe asthma, they’ll need the support of a specialist team to help them manage their asthma and stay well. This may be at a specialist asthma care centre, if there is one near you, or at a respiratory clinic based at your local hospital.
Does my child have severe asthma?
We know how hard it can be for parents to see their child frequently unwell. Even though you’re doing everything you can, severe asthma is unpredictable and not easy to control. Debby Waddell, Respiratory Nurse Specialist, Asthma + Lung UK
If your child is having lots of asthma symptoms and attacks, their GP may refer them to a specialist care team.
The specialist care team can work out if your child has severe asthma, or if they have difficult asthma.
Difficult asthma
You may have been told your child had a ‘severe’ or an ‘acute’ asthma attack. But this doesn’t always mean your child has severe asthma.
It’s much more common for a child having lots of symptoms and asthma attacks to have difficult asthma. Difficult asthma is asthma that is not well controlled with prescribed medicines, but it can be managed well with the right treatment plan and support.
There can be lots of reasons why your child’s asthma may seem difficult to treat. These can include poor inhaler technique, not keeping to a good routine with their medicines, or being exposed to cigarette smoke.
With the right support and treatment your child’s asthma symptoms can improve.
What happens if my child is referred to a specialist care team for their asthma?
The specialist care team can review your child’s medicines and inhaler technique, and talk through your child’s triggers at home and at school.
If your child has allergies or other conditions, they can also see if these are making your child’s asthma worse.
Severe asthma can take time to diagnose. Your child will need tests to confirm the diagnosis. Find out more about how severe asthma is diagnosed.
Treating severe asthma in children
If your child is diagnosed with severe asthma, the specialist asthma care team will continue to support them.
Specialist care means your child has access to specialist treatments like biologic therapies. These are usually given as an injection in hospital.
The specialist team can offer mental health and wellbeing support too. Having severe asthma can be hard for a child to cope with, especially if they have had many severe asthma attacks. Your child may be offered appointments with a psychologist to help them to deal with their fears and feelings.
Your child’s specialist care team can also regularly check your child’s medicines and side effects, and your child’s height and weight.
Find out more about specialist asthma care, and how severe asthma is treated.
Seeing lots of different healthcare professionals
Being a parent or carer of a child with severe asthma can mean lots of appointments, with their GP, nurse or a specialist team in a clinic or at hospital.
Some children may also need appointments with different specialists to help them deal with side effects from their medicines.
Always take your child’s asthma action plan and their medicines with you to appointments.
This can help you explain your child’s needs to the different healthcare professionals involved in their care.
Managing your child's medicine
Your child may need extra medicines alongside their usual inhalers, to help them stay well.
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Keep all your child’s medicines in the same place, so they’re easy to find.
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Keep patient information leaflets from medicines, so you understand possible side effects.
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Always use your child’s asthma action plan to help you remember when to take their medicines.
More help and support
We know that caring for a child with severe asthma can be difficult for parents, carers and sometimes the whole family.
Join our parent and carer support network. It’s a free online support network for parents and carers of children with any lung condition. The events are held online on Zoom every month. Each meeting has a different topic with talks from healthcare professionals.
You can also connect with other parents using our Asthma Community Forum.
Find out more about benefits for parents and carers including Disability Living Allowance.
We have lots of information to support you and your child including staying safe and well at school, leaving your child with other people, and going away on holiday.
You might find our information about severe asthma for adults helpful too.
Get support
Call our Helpline for support with your condition. Get advice on your medicines, symptoms or travelling with a lung condition, or just call us to say hello.