Question
The child is a three-year-old eight-month-old female with asthma, wheezing bronchitis, and allergic asthma. What are the differences between these conditions? Can traditional Chinese medicine be used for asthma treatment?
Answer
Allergic asthma is characterized by the presence of allergens; symptoms do not occur without allergens. Infant asthma is usually caused by bronchiolitis, while wheezing bronchitis is a manifestation of bronchitis that has worsened. Asthma attacks are not limited to a specific age, but as children grow older, the incidence of pediatric asthma gradually decreases. Studies by scholars both domestically and internationally have shown that about 70% of bronchiolitis during infancy will evolve into asthmatic bronchitis, but only less than half of the patients will develop asthma. Most patients stop having attacks around the age of six, with about a quarter experiencing recurrent attacks. Research also indicates that as age increases, the frequency of asthma attacks gradually decreases. Therefore, some people hold the view that pediatric asthma can resolve spontaneously and can heal without formal and long-term treatment. However, this view is incorrect. There is no definitive link between the age of asthma attacks and prognosis, but it is important to note the “dangerous” factors during asthma attacks. These factors include the frequency of attacks, the genetic atopy and pulmonary function status of asthma patients. We believe that most pediatric asthma patients can be cured with treatment, but if symptoms are frequent and stubborn, especially in children around the age of ten, then active long-term treatment is needed. The idea of “spontaneous resolution and healing” only applies to a few cases.