Signs and symptoms that your child has Asthma

Pediatric Allergist Ronald Ferdman, MD, shares advice for parents on the signs and symptoms that may indicate that your child should be evaluated for asthma
Asthma Symptoms In Children - How To Tel If Your Child Has Asthma
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Signs and symptoms that your child has Asthma

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Unfortunately, there is not one single test that we use to diagnose asthma in children. The major way we diagnose asthma in children is by taking a medical history. We listen to the types of symptoms the child is having, how long it has been going on, and the pattern of symptoms. We also look at family history. Asthma almost always runs in families that either have asthma or other allergic diseases. Often times, the child has other allergic conditions, such as eczema, a food allergy, or an animal allergy. If you have a family history or some other allergic disease, that increases your chance of having asthma. Lastly, we look at the response to medication. If you have asthma-like symptoms and they go away with asthma medication, that's a pretty good indication that you have asthma. We look at duration of symptoms. A lot of children will have wheezing for just a couple months when they are young. It is hard to call that asthma. If the wheezing continues for a very long time, it becomes more and more likely that child has asthma.

Pediatric Allergist Ronald Ferdman, MD, shares advice for parents on the signs and symptoms that may indicate that your child should be evaluated for asthma

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Ronald Ferdman, MD

Pediatrician, Allergy and Immunology, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Ronald Ferdman received his BA from the University of California at San Diego and his MD from Hahnemann University (now Drexel University) in Philadelphia.  He completed both his Pediatric residency and his fellowship in Allergy/Immunology at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, then obtained a Masters in Medical Education (MEd) from the University of Southern California (USC) School of Education.  He currently is an attending physician in the Division of Clinical Immunology and Allergy at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.  He is board certified allergy/immunologist, and is a fellow in the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.  His current interests include management of allergic and immunologic diseases in high-risk children and education for families and clinicians. He is a California native, where he currently lives with his wife Susan and their three of four children, and spends his spare time wishing for more.

 

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