Children with asthma question

My 9-year-old son was recently diagnosed with asthma. Can he be involved in sports and activities that require a lot of running?

Children with asthma are encouraged to participate in all sports and summer activities. There have been many Olympic athletes who have been diagnosed with asthma. If your son has problems running, he should see a doctor so he can be started on medications that will prevent troublesome symptoms and hopefully allow him to assume normal activities including all forms of exercise.

Asthma is a lung disease that is reversible and causes bronchial or lower airway obstruction. It currently affects between 5 and 10 percent of children in the United States and is characterized by cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and/or mucus production. Although the severity of these symptoms can vary, medications can control underlying problems in asthma - airway inflammation and bronchial muscle reactivity - and can greatly control asthma severity.

People wonder if allergies and asthma are the same. In some individuals, allergies may trigger asthma symptoms. This does not mean that a person with asthma always has allergies, however. Likewise, individuals with allergies do not always have asthma.

Researchers are looking closely at the association of different allergies and asthma.

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