Spring Greetings from the Former Asthma Capital of America

If your child has asthma, this is probably the week you’re starting to check the pollen counts again. Even though St. Louis recently lost its ranking as “Asthma Capital” of the nation (for 2010 we’re at No. 2 – thanks, Richmond!) it’s still a challenging place for many kids and adults to take a deep breath.

The number of children in our metro area who have asthma is about three times the national average, according to the St. Louis Regional Asthma Consortium. That’s about 1 in 11 children. Kids like my 3-year-old, who has had wheezing episodes but is not yet officially diagnosed with asthma, are not included in that count, so the number of those under 18 receiving asthma treatment may be quite a bit higher – especially among kids under 5, in whom asthma is difficult to diagnose. Some of them may grow out of it (I have my fingers crossed); click here to read what the National Institutes of Health says about asthma diagnosis in the very young.

But because we have a family history of respiratory allergies, one day I’m most likely going to have to face up to the fact that he, like his mom, officially has asthma. The upside of having this chronic disease in St. Louis is that there are dozens of support organizations and many research projects going on all the time – the medical community, public health officials and schools are fully aware of our fair city’s asthma issues.

The most important thing for parents to do is learn to manage their child’s individual triggers and symptoms; for this, an ongoing relationship with a health professional is key. However, community resources, like those listed here by the St. Louis Regional Asthma Consortium, can provide valuable support and awareness.

And this spring, keep track of that pollen! The St. Louis Chapter of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America has a pollen tracker on its homepage; it also tweets pollen levels.

By Amy De La Hunt, health blogger for SmartParenting