Asthma in Children: Knowing How Bad an Attack Is
Asthma in Children: Knowing How Bad an Attack IsSkip to the navigationTopic OverviewIt 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 | CreditsByHealthwise Staff
Primary Medical ReviewerJohn Pope, MD - Pediatrics
Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine
Specialist Medical ReviewerLora J. Stewart, MD - Allergy and Immunology Current as ofMarch 25, 2017 Current as of:
March 25, 2017 Last modified on: 8 September 2017
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