Although Ms.Trang’s daughter had used antibiotics for a few months, she hadn’t recovered yet. After taking her daughter to the hospital, Trang was shocked when she knew that her child had thoracic deformity because she coughed a lot and had manifestations of antibiotic overuse.

Her daughter has lived with asthma since childhood. One day, Ms. Trang (Hanoi) took her daughter to the hospital. The little girl was diagnosed with bronchitis without fever and prescribed with a lot of antibiotics. Despite the long use of antibiotics, her symptoms didn’t relieve. Sometimes, she had to take antibiotics for 2 months.

Seeing no relief in her child’s illness but fatigue, weight loss, and gastrointestinal problems, Trang decided to take her child to other doctors. As a result, she was shocked to know that her child had asthma and chest deformity due to too much coughing. The fatigue and weight loss are caused by prolonged use of antibiotics in asthma treatment. According to doctors, antibiotics are not recommended in asthma treatment because it could not relieve the asthma but it even makes the children more tired.

Ms. Hoa (Tu Liem, Hanoi) has the same situation as Ms. Trang’s. Her son didn’t stop coughing so she took him to a doctor. He was diagnosed with nasopharyngitis and designated for the use of antibiotics and corticoid. After using the drug, her son’s disease didn’t relieve so she took him to see another doctor. He was diagnosed with bronchitis and continued to use antibiotics and corticoid. However, he couldn’t get rid of the cough. Then, Hoa decided to visit another doctor. Her son was diagnosed with asthma. Since then, he had been under asthma treatment and prevention.

According to Dr. Vu Thi Thuy Lan, Green Pine Clinic, these are two cases of patients with asthma who were misdiagnosed leading to the prolonged antibiotic use without any relief. In fact, asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disease, characterized by signs of wheezing, breathlessness, cough relapses. Shortness of breath can recover naturally or by treatment.

Asthma recurrence is caused by exertion or exposure to the factors such as tobacco smoke, coal stove smoke, fragrance, fabric softener, cat hair, dog hair and some medicine, etc.).

Asthma can occur in all ages, including infants.

Symptoms: Often begin with sneezing, runny nose, and coughing, which is worse at night. Then appear with dyspnea (shortness of breath, concave chest or cyanosis). Babies are often accompanied with poor appetite, and much vomiting. Asthma usually does not cause fever. Recurring asthma brings the consequences of malnutrition, chest deformity, growth retardation, or respiratory diseases in children.

Currently, asthma diagnosis remains overlooked, leading to incorrect treatment, excessive use of antibiotics, unsafe cough medications, especially the abuse of Corticosteroid in asthma treatment (corticoid drugs have many different names such as: Mekocetin, Medrol, Prednisolon, Solumedrol, Methylprednisolon etc.). Many people call them anti-inflammatory drugs. Consequences are witnessed in children, such as obesity, fluid retention, muscle wasting, osteoporosis, growth retardation and reduced resistance to disease.

Antibiotic overuse in treating asthma leads to many different risks, for example, children have gastrointestinal problems because antibiotics kill off the normal bacteria in the gut or children often have fatigue, malnutrition, causing antibiotic resistance; and the most dangerous is that the children may be allergic to that antibiotic.

Treating asthma require prescription and advice by doctors, including treatment of asthma and prevention of asthma. Treatment of asthma includes bronchodilators. Prevention of asthma includes Inhaled Corticosteroids, leucotriel, etc.

To learn about asthma, how to prevent and treat asthma properly, parents must take their children to see respiratory therapist or attend asthma clubs. Do not use antibiotics, drugs corticoid group and bronchodilators without doctor’s advice.