Asthma in Children: Knowing How Bad an Attack Is
Topic Overview
It can be difficult to know whether your child is having a mild, moderate, or severe asthma attack. The following chart may help you. Talk with a doctor if you are unable to tell how severe your child’s symptoms are.
Gauging the severity of your child’s asthma attack
|
Factor
|
Mild attack
|
Moderate attack
|
Severe attack
|
|
Peak expiratory flow
|
80% to 100% of personal best
|
50% to 79% of personal best
|
Less than 50% of personal best
|
|
Breathing
|
Normal or slightly faster
|
Faster than normal
|
Rapid, and the child may appear preoccupied with breathing; may want to sit upright to help breathing
|
|
Breath
|
Mild or no shortness of breath; can speak in full sentences
|
Short of breath; can speak in short phrases or parts of sentences
|
Very short of breath; speaks in single words or short phrases
|
|
Chest
|
Does not or slightly uses chest muscles to breathe
|
Uses chest and neck muscles to breathe. The skin between, under, and above the ribs collapses inward with each breath.
|
Uses chest and neck muscles to breathe and may open nostrils wide; may clutch at the chest
|
|
Skin
|
Normal skin color
|
Pale skin color
|
Very pale or bluish skin color; may sweat more than normal
|
|
Wheezing
|
Wheezes while breathing out
|
Wheezes while breathing in and out
|
Does not wheeze while breathing. This indicates little or no air in the airways.
|
|
Alertness
|
Normally alert
|
Normally alert
|
Not as alert as usual and may appear anxious
|
Credits
Current as ofApril 1, 2019
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review: John Pope MD – Pediatrics
Adam Husney MD – Family Medicine
Lora J. Stewart MD – Allergy and Immunology
Current as of: April 1, 2019
