FINDING your children struggling to breathe may be one of the scariest experiences of a parent or guardian’s life.

But according to a national charity, 1.1 million children in the UK are diagnosed with asthma, and a child is admitted to hospital every 20 minutes because of an attack.

Figures from Asthma UK have also revealed how 171 children aged from just months to 14 were admitted to Royal Bolton Hospital in 2015 due to asthma, while a further 237 aged 15 and over also made emergency visits.

At the most recent World Asthma Day earlier this month, Bolton’s asthma nurses were out and about aiming to raise awareness and give advice on how to control symptoms.

The busy team at Bolton hope by increasing understanding of the long-term condition it will reduce emergency hospital admission and, more importantly, help save lives.

Amanda Jones, the team leader at the Bolton NHS Foundation Trust’s children’s respiratory nursing team, said: “In Bolton we have higher than the national average for children with asthma so we are always wanting to raise awareness as much as possible.

“Ignoring or not recognising it, not using the treatment equipment correctly or not having the right conditions at home can all lead to making the symptoms worse. But managed correctly it stops the trips to hospital and improves the patient’s future.

“We are constantly looking at way to improve things for children in Bolton.

“Anything from mis-diagnosis to mismanagement can have an impact, that’s why we look to understand the disease.

“The referrals to us come from hospital admissions, A&E and and children who are really struggling to cope, sometimes to the point where they are missing school.

“We are a a small team but we are busy.”

Bolton, like the rest of the North West, has an higher than average number of people suffering from asthma due to factors such as a higher number of people living in poverty and the high number of smokers in the region.

The respiratory team based at Breightmet Health Centre provide specialist nursing care, advice, information and education for children living in Bolton with a chronic respiratory illness and their families.

While a GP can diagnose and offer initial advice, the team are on hand to offer support for long-term care.

This includes helping to manage symptoms with a children’s My Asthma Calendar which helps youngsters chart how they feel and show their physical symptoms in order to improve their understanding of the condition.

There is also the Asthma Control Test which features short, simple questions for a sufferer to rate their symptoms over the past four weeks, helping to judge if they are in control.

On top of this, the Bolton team can help families manage medicine - with a variety of inhalers available depending on the level of condition - and improving home life.

This includes identifying triggers such as pet hair, cigarette smoke, air fresheners and damp and mold.

Dangers arise from young people and their families not identifying when the condition is getting worse or, having no symptoms for a long while, deciding they no longer need to use the inhalers.

Bolton respiratory nurse Mandy Millard explained: “We are trying to empower families to manage a little bit better.

“A GP has around 10 minutes maximum with someone but we can provide a more in-depth consultation and help.

“If you are using your inhaler more than three times a day things might not necessarily be under control. People use them a lot more than they think but they can get help.”

Amanda added: “Asthma is a long-term condition so getting the diagnosis can be very difficult.

“There are many ways it can affect someone’s life – even to the point where they worry about how they can carry around an inhaler with them all the time.

“However, there is help out there either through the team or through charities such as Asthma UK.”

Despite the high level of diagnosis, it is not yet known what causes asthma in children.

Factors can include being born premature, low birth weight, mother smoking during pregnancy, a history of eczema or allergies in family, and exposure to second hand smoke or environmental pollution.

A GP will identify symptoms for asthma including wheezing, coughing – especially at night or in the morning – difficulty breathing, and a tight, sore feeling in the chest.

Indicators of an asthma attack are:

Reliever inhaler (usually blue) isn’t helping

Can’t talk or walk easily

Breathing hard and fast

Coughing or wheezing a lot

Complaining of a tummy ache

If a child is suffering an attack the advice is as follows:

Help them to sit up straight and stay calm

Help them take a puff of their reliever inhaler (usually blue) every 30-60 seconds, up to a maximum of 10 puffs

Call 999 for an ambulance if their symptoms get worse while they are using their inhaler, they don’t feel better after 10 puffs, you are worried at any time, or even if they have not yet taken 10 puffs.

While you wait for the ambulance, reassure your child and repeat step two if the ambulance takes longer than 15 minutes.

Always call 999 immediately if you don’t have a reliever inhaler with you.

Asthma UK is one of the main source of support, even used by Bolton’s health team. Visit www.asthma.org.uk.

The Bolton team operates 8.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday, at Breightmet Health Centre. To contact call 01204 463949.