Anaemia

Anaemia is a deficiency in the number or quality of red blood cells. The red blood cells carry oxygen around the body, using a particular protein called haemoglobin. Anaemia means that either the level of red blood cells or the level of haemoglobin is lower than normal.

When a person is anaemic, their heart has to work harder to pump the quantity of blood needed to get adequate oxygen around their body. During heavy exercise, the cells may not be able to carry enough oxygen to meet the body’s needs and the person can become exhausted.

Anaemia isn’t a disease in itself, but a result of a malfunction somewhere in the body. This blood condition is common, particularly in females. Some estimates suggest that around one in five menstruating women and half of all pregnant women are anaemic.

Symptoms
Depending on the severity, the symptoms of anaemia may include:

• Pale skin
• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Tiring easily
• Breathlessness
• Drop in blood pressure when standing from a sitting or lying position (orthostatic hypotension) – this may happen after acute blood loss, like a heavy period
• Frequent headaches
• Racing heart or palpitations
• Becoming irritated easily
• Concentration difficulties
• Cracked or reddened tongue
• Loss of appetite
• Strange food cravings.

Groups at high risk
Certain people are at increased risk of anaemia, including:

• Menstruating women
• Pregnant and breastfeeding women
• Babies, especially if premature
• Children going through puberty
• Vegetarians
• People with cancer, stomach ulcers and some chronic diseases
• People on fad diets
• Athletes.

Treatment
Treatment depends on the cause and severity, but may include:

• Vitamin and mineral supplements – in the case of deficiency.
• Iron injections – if the person is very low on iron.
• Vitamin B12 (by injection) – required for pernicious anaemia.
• Antibiotics – if infection is the cause.
• Altering the dose or regimen of regular medications – such as anti-inflammatory drugs, if necessary.
• Blood transfusions – if required.
• Oxygen therapy – if required.
• Surgery to prevent abnormal bleeding – such as heavy menstruation.
• Surgery to remove the spleen (splenectomy) – in cases of severe haemolytic anaemia.

Asthma

Asthma (say: az-muh) is a condition that affects a person's airways, which are also called breathing tubes or bronchial (say: brong-kee-ul) tubes. These tubes lead from the windpipe, or trachea (say: tray-kee-uh), into the lungs. For most kids, breathing is simple: They breathe in through their noses or mouths and the air goes into the windpipe. From there, it travels through the airways and into the lungs. But for kids with asthma, breathing can be a lot more difficult because their airways are very sensitive.

Who Gets Asthma?

Asthma is more common than you might think. As many as 6 million kids in the United States have it. Asthma affects about 1 or 2 kids out of 10. That means if you have 20 kids in your class, 2-4 of them might have asthma. Asthma can start at any age — even in a little baby or an adult — but it's most common in school-age kids.

No one really knows why one person's airways are more sensitive than another person's, but we do know that asthma runs in families. That means if a kid has asthma, he or she may also have a parent, sibling, uncle, or other relative who has asthma or had it as a child.

Asthma flare-ups may sound a little like a cold, with coughing and wheezing, but asthma isn't contagious. You can't catch it from someone like you can catch a cold.

What Causes an Asthma Flare-Up?

Different kids have different triggers — things that set off asthma flare-ups. There are a lot of triggers. Some kids are sensitive to allergens (say: ah-lur-jenz), substances that cause allergic reactions in the airways. Common allergens for kids with asthma include dust mites (tiny bugs that live in dust), mold (if you've ever been in a damp basement and smelled something funny, it was probably mold), and pollen (from trees, grass, and weeds).

A lot of kids have asthma flare-ups when they are near furry animals. Cats and dogs both have what's called animal dander in their fur. This is sort of like dandruff, and it's a trigger that can cause a powerful reaction in the airways.

Some substances can trigger flare-ups because they really irritate the airways. These include perfume, chalk dust, and cigarette smoke. Smoking is always a bad idea, especially around someone who has asthma.

Sometimes an infection can be a trigger and set off an asthma flare-up. If a kid comes down with a cold or the flu, his or her airways may become more sensitive than usual. In some kids, cold air itself can cause an asthma flare-up, and so can exercise. In fact, some kids have what's called exercise-induced asthma. This means they have breathing problems only when they exercise.

How Is Asthma Treated?

Kids who have asthma should try to avoid things that can cause their airways to tighten. But some triggers — like cats, colds, and chalk dust — can't always be avoided. That's why kids who are sensitive to those things must manage their asthma by taking medication.

Not every kid's asthma is the same, so there are different medicines for treating it. It's not like curing a sore throat or an earache, when everybody gets the same medicine. Instead, the doctor will think about what causes the asthma flare-ups, how fast the flare-ups happen, and how serious they are. Then he or she will decide on the best kind of treatment.

Some kids need to take asthma medication only once in a while, when they have a flare-up. This is called rescue medicine because it works fast to open the airways, so the person can breathe. Other kids may need to take controller medicine every day. Controller medicine works to keep flare-ups from happening.

A kid who knows in advance that he or she will be around allergens or other triggers may need to take medication ahead of time that will keep the airways open. And kids who have exercise-induced asthma can take medication before exercising so they'll be able to finish all their laps around the track. Whatever their triggers are, kids who have asthma can use a peak flow meter to get an idea of how well they are breathing that day and whether they need to take any medicine.

Asthma medicine often is taken through an inhaler (say: in-hay-lur). An inhaler is a plastic tube that holds a container of medicine. You may have seen a friend or someone in school using an inhaler, which is held up to the mouth. A kid holds the inhaler up to his or her mouth and breathes in. The medicine comes out in a mist that goes into the lungs. The medicine in the mist relaxes the airways, so the person can breathe easier.