Asthma flare-up season is here!

It’s that time of year parents should worry about their kids’ having an asthma attack. September is usually the month asthma cases peak among children. The fallen pollen season can cause a flare-up. “It’s not clear as to what is causing this spike. The change of temperature, barometric pressure etc., but it is not really clear,” said Dr. Andrew Green with Buffalo Medical Group. According to Universe Healthcare 15 percent of Western New York children under the age 18 have asthma. That’s two percent higher than the Upstate New York average. The keys to preventing flare-ups are making sure children take their medication even if they are feeling well, make sure they aren’t around people who smoke, or things they could be allergic to. “Cats, dogs, or guinea pigs if they’re found to be allergic to those items perhaps they should not be in the home,” said Dr. Green. Doctors urging parents to make sure their child’s asthma meds are up to date and you should have an asthma action plan ready for your child to take to a school nurse. “Which clearly in writing states these are the medications that you can use on them as needed bases and these are the medications you should have on the daily bases,” Green said. Sending an extra inhaler into school with your child and leave it with a school nurse is also part of that plan.