Child asthma vs. adult asthma or do you get both?

Question

If you didn't outgrow asthma as a child, and still have it as a young adult, does it become COPD when you're older?

Answer 1

Depends: Most children with asthma still have asthma as adults, although the severity of asthma can change over time.

Answer 2

Label confusion: Many of those who wheeze during a variety of illnesses as infants and young kids grow out of this by school age (about 60%).They may be labeled as having asthma but I don't call this asthma. There are kids with true asthma that will show by 1yo in males & 4 in most females.They will have the tendency to have adult asthma. However, asthma is quite variable in intensity so label confusion is common

Answer 3

Nothing: Both in kids and adults, asthma is inflammation of the lungs and closing down of the airways to cause breathing difficulty. It is all treated with the same thinking processes and similar meds.

Answer 4

Not much: Pure asthma is pretty much the same disease in children and adults except that children often outgrow it as their lungs get bigger. In adults, asthma often gets confounded by smoking and other occupational, environmental and recreational exposures.

Answer 5

Child more allergic: Children with asthma are more likely to have a significant allergic component to their illness. However, allergy can be a factor at any age. Both childfren and adults respond well to medications, and the agents used are similar. Typically attacks in children evlove more quickly than those in adults, and children usually respond faster to treatment.

Answer 6

Young or old adult?: Young adults - 30s & 40s - with asthma have had it since childhood or had it during childhood, then had resolution for a decade or so, followed by recurrence. They might recall only having bronchitis often when younger. This is a continuation of a chronic, usually allergy-based illness from childhood. Asthma starting after age 50 is a different disease & usually not allergic in origin.

Answer 7

Age...: The disease process is the same for children and adults and that is recurrent episodes of bronchospasm and airway inflammation. It used to be thought that kids had more of an allergic etiology and adults had more exacerbations with infections but there is so much overlap that this is really not a useful distinction.

Child asthma vs. adult asthma or do you get both?

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