What should be regularly monitored in a child diagnosed with asthma?

Regularly monitoring the peak expiratory flow rate is crucial for a child diagnosed with asthma because it provides an objective measure of lung function and airway status. This measurement helps in assessing the severity of the asthma, evaluating the effectiveness of the treatment, and predicting potential exacerbations. It allows healthcare providers and caregivers to track changes in the child's condition over time, enabling timely interventions if the child's lung function deteriorates.

While heart rate, oxygen saturation, and blood pressure can provide valuable clinical information, they do not specifically reflect the degree of airway obstruction or asthma control to the same extent as peak expiratory flow rate measurements. Monitoring oxygen saturation is important, particularly during an exacerbation, but it does not offer ongoing insight into the everyday management of asthma. Blood pressure is generally not a relevant parameter for assessing asthma control. Therefore, focusing on the peak expiratory flow rate is essential for comprehensive asthma management in pediatric patients.