Exercise Related Asthma - Don’t let untreated asthma impact your child or adolescent’s sports training this season.
Asthma affects 5 million children and adolescents in the United States. It is estimated that about half of children with asthma will experience exercise-related symptoms. Breathing difficulty with sports and exercise is one of the consequences of asthma that is poorly controlled, and it may be the first or only warning sign that there is a problem.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has published guidelines for the management of exercise-induced asthma. The same organization has also published guidelines for teachers and coaches which you can read here. But how do you know if your child has breathing difficulty in sports due to asthma? Exercise problems can be attributed to other medical problems or simply deconditioning.
The gold standard test is exercise challenge spirometry. Usually, the child will be asked to perform a treadmill run with a lung function test known as spirometry before and after exercise. This is the only test that can replicate the conditions that can trigger an asthmatic reaction (bronchospasm) which can be measured in the office.
We are proud to offer this service at our Memorial City location. Ask your pediatrician today about testing if your child has problems with exercise.
Dr. Susarla
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