Can Children Grow Out of Asthma?

Asthma can be scary. That feeling when you can’t catch your breath, when you’re not sure if the oxygen’s going to make it into your lungs, when your chest hurts — you want that feeling to go away as soon as possible.

If your child has been diagnosed with asthma, but you’ve seen their symptoms lessen as they grow older, you may find yourself wondering: Has my child outgrown their asthma so they never have to experience that feeling again?

Here at Beverly Hills Allergy in Beverly Hills and Glendale, California. treating asthma is one of our specialties. Dr. Sherwin Hariri and our team work hard to give you the best diagnosis and treatment possible. 

Here’s what we know about asthma in children:

What is asthma?

Asthma is a long-term (chronic) disease that causes the muscles in your airways to become swollen and inflamed. This narrows your airways, making it more difficult for air to reach your lungs. This is what makes it hard to breathe.

Asthma can also result in increased mucus production, which can build up in the linings of your airways and also makes breathing more difficult. 

Symptoms usually include shortness of breath, coughing, chest pain or tightness, wheezing, and difficulty breathing. Asthma attacks are typically brought on by triggers such as cold, dry air, smoke, physical exercise, allergens, and more. 

More than 25 million people in the United States have asthma, and 7.5 million of them are children.

Can you outgrow asthma?

If you have a child with asthma, you want to know if they’ll ever outgrow it. Technically, the answer is no. There’s no actual cure for asthma. Once someone develops sensitive airways, that sensitivity and inflammation never truly go away. It’s a lifelong condition.

However, as your child grows up, their symptoms may improve to the point where they don’t appear to have asthma anymore. If this is the case for your child, that’s wonderful, but be aware that for about half of the kids who have asthma, their symptoms reappear in their 30s or 40s. They could also develop new asthma triggers over time that cause their symptoms to return.

There’s no real way to predict if your child’s symptoms will reappear in adulthood or if they’ll develop new triggers. They just need to be aware that it could happen and be ready to go back to the doctor if they begin having trouble. 

If your child has been diagnosed with asthma, or if you think they may have it, our team at Beverly Hills Allergy is here to help. We have two Beverly Hills-area locations to serve you. Just set up an appointment at our office nearest you today by phone or book online.