Breathing Problems in Children: Everything you need to know about

4 min read

Written by Editorial Team

Editorial Team

With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.

As much as it affects everyday activities in adults, breathing problems are equally traumatizing for children too. Unlike adults, children develop a sense of fear of suffocation when they suffer from breathing problems. Hence parents have to be extremely cautious with the child’s lifestyle and eating habits when they suffer from such conditions. Breathlessness and other breathing problems have varying stages and phases and are caused due to various reasons for each individual. Most of the time it is just because of anxiety and stress and in some cases, it could be due to some serious problems which will need medical intervention immediately. Here, we have listed out some of the causes of breathing problems in children, signs, and symptoms to look out for and treatments that can be given for the condition.

Causes Of Breathing Problems In Children

There can be various reasons and causes for breathing problems in children which can be classified into temporary and long-term problems.
Some of the long-term causes of breathing problems are;

Regular exposure to smoke from cigarettes (passive smoking)
Improper eating habits leading to childhood obesity
Dust allergies or allergic reactions towards various other air particles
Anxiety and stress faced by the child at school or home can also lead to breathing problems.

Some of the temporary causes of breathing problems are:

Temporary breathing problem caused due to choking caused by food or a foreign object
Temporary breathing issues caused due to viral infections and fever
While traveling to high altitude regions, shortness of breath can occur due to low levels of oxygen
Nasal and chest congestions when affected with cold and flu
A sudden change in weather
Panic attacks

Apart from the above-mentioned causes, there are some respiratory problems that children face which will require immediate attention and medical intervention for its cure. Some of the conditions which require regular medical treatment.
In this aspect, the breathing issue in children is broadly divided into:

Upper Respiratory Tract Issues

Upper respiratory tract refers to the nose, mouth, sinuses, and throat. Any issues connected with these parts can bring about breathing problems in children.

Lower Respiratory Tract Issues

Lower respiratory tract refers to the windpipe (trachea), bronchi and lungs. Any issues connected with these parts can bring about breathing problems in children.
As the immunity of the children is not fully developed, they are prone to infections.
The main cause of infection in children that bring about breathing issues are:

Bacterial Infection

Bacterial infections very common in the upper respiratory tract. Sinus infection and tonsillitis are typical examples of upper respiratory tract bacterial infection that bring about breathing issues in children. Even though not that common, tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that affects the lower respiratory tract.

Viral Infection

Viral infection is the main cause of most of the upper respiratory tract infections. Examples are cold, sore throat, flu, etc. More often, these infections are not serious and will go away (maximum) in a week. Viral infections that affect the lower respiratory tract include bronchitis and pneumonia. In such instances, the child may develop a serious blockage in their airways and will be in need of hospitalization for treatment.

Indoor Air Pollution : A Concern:

With the surge of contamination of air particles due to harmful gases and elements, the air inside our homes has also become as deteriorated as the air outside our homes. Home is said to be the safest place for your child and if that too becomes dirty and your children are not considered safe to live there, then that home is not the right place for your kid.
Indoor air is 5 times more polluted than the air outside and is a serious concern worldwide. To combat this, 3M brings to you a very innovative solution, Electrostatic Air Conditioner Filters.
3m Electrostatic air conditioner filter
Designed with FiltreteTM brand 3-in-1 technology, this product is a non woven fibre material filter that sits on the existing filtering screens of your spilt AC covering 60 – 80 % surface of it for optimal air flow. It captures MicroParticle pollutants like household dust, smoke and exhausts and clears 83 % of it from indoor air within an hour of use.
These filters are designed to complement the existing filtering screen of your wall mounted air conditioners to enable it to remove PM2.5 and other Micro Particle pollutants from the air inside your home so you can clean your air while you cool it.
Benefits
Removes 83% of PM2.5 and MicroParticle content from indoor air within an hour of application
Purifies your air for upto 3 months depending on air quality inside your home
3m Electrostatic air conditioner filter technology
How to Use?

Open the front cover of your wall mounted AC. Remove and clean the existing filtering screen.
Place the 3M filters vertically onto the center of the screens allowing gaps on each side. They cover about 80% surface of the existing filtering screen for optimal air flow.

Editorial Team,

With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.Read more.

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