This site is intended for healthcare professionals

account_circleSign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Management of acute episodes in young children in the community

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The assessment of acute asthma in children under five can be difficult

  • viral infections are usually responsible for intermittent wheezing attacks
  • furthermore, response to asthma medication may be inconsistent

Differential diagnosis of symptoms includes:

  • aspiration pneumonitis
  • pneumonia
  • bronchiolitis
  • tracheomalacia
  • complications of underlying conditions such as congenital anomalies and cystic fibrosis

The first decision point in the management is whether the child is <2 years, 2-5 years old or > 5 years.

  • management of acute asthma in children under 1 year should be under the direction of a respiratory paediatrician

Reference:

  1. British Thoracic Society (BTS)/Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) 2019. British Guideline on the Management of Asthma. A national clinical guideline.

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page