Asthma Inhalers For Children

Basically we all need asthma devices in order to completely rid ourselves of the dilemma called asthma but asthma inhalers for children are absolutely important. Using an inhaler properly delivers the medicine to the lungs and the response is almost always better. But we have to be able to use the device properly as if not, very little or no medicine shall reach the lungs which will eventually not be good for asthma patients. Asthma inhalers for children are absolutely necessary but still not many people unfortunately know the use of these magical things that make breathing much easier for those suffering from asthma. Following are some of the more popular types of asthma inhalers available nowadays.

1. MDI canister contains the medicine floating in a blend of propellants, surfactants, preservatives, flavoring agents, and dispersal agents. The propellant basically takes the medication to the lungs and is a chemical named chlorofluorocarbon (CFC). Since CFC's are known to damage the ozone layer, not many inhalers with MDI are available these days. CFC-free propellants, are easily available instead. These devices may have a softer and different taste than many other devices containing CFC's. the only problem with these HFA devices is that they could be a little bit more expensive than the CFC's that are commonly used.

2. Spacer devices are usually suggested for those children who usually have difficulty in the coordination of medication and breathing. Many such spacers are available in the market these days but you can't really say which is type is better than which.

3. Valved-holding chamber is also a type of inhaler which basically incorporates a one-way valve which allows the child to easily breathe in and out of some sort of mouthpiece or valve.

4. There are many children who have problems timing their breath and spraying the medicine, for those children these MDIs automatically release the medication when the child breathes in (ie, Maxair Autohaler®). But as every other good thing, these devices also come with a lot of disadvantages like some children may not be able to inhale vehemently enough to activate the drug's release, especially during an asthma attack.

5. A good alternative to MDIs is a dry powder inhaler (DPI) which eliminates the need to manage taking a breath and squeezing the canister at the same time, thus is much more convenient for the kids. But children who are using this sort of an inhaler have to inhale more forcefully than they do with a normal inhaler. Due to which these inhalers are usually not recommended for children who are lesser than six years old or older children who are suffering from some nerve or muscle weakness. Another thing that a child must not do is to exhale directly into the device before inhaling in, as the medication can be completely scattered this way. DPI's transport a fine powder to the lungs when children breathe in. The best thing about DPIs is that they do not contain CFC or HFA, only a small amount of lactose which is just a type of sugar.

So we have gone through loads of asthma inhalers for children which can really help in controlling their intense breathing problems.