Asthma in Teens

No particular cause has been found for asthma in teens or adults yet, but medical experts know the following about the disease:

• Asthma is a hereditary disease, i.e. a family history of the disease makes one more likely to get it.
• Allergic people are much more likely to get asthma, but everyone with an allergy need not think that they will surely get the disease.
• Pollution increases the risk of asthma.

So, a teen is likely to get the disease if it runs in his family. Some symptoms of asthma, that can be mild or severe, are:

• Wheezing – It is the distinguishing symptom of asthma. A loud or soft whistling sound is made when the patient tries to inhale or exhale.
• Cough – Asthma patients cough a lot more than usual.
• Shortness of breath – Patients often feel that they are left gasping for breath.
• Chest feeling tight – Constriction or pressure is felt in the chest.
• Trouble sleeping – Due to excessive coughing and shortness of breath, problems which are more likely at night, the patient finds trouble in sleeping.
• Tiredness – Lack of adequate oxygen intake makes physical exertion difficult. The patient gets tired quickly when exercising or after any other exertion.  

The asthma treatment for teens used to include the precaution forbidding them from taking part in active sports.  Not any longer. Now-a-days doctors recommend kids with asthma to take to active sports as it has the following benefits for them:

• It helps to manage their asthma condition.
• Maintain healthy weight.
• Strengthen the breathing muscles, enabling better functioning of the lungs.

Other than for having fun, your teen child with asthma should be told to participate in sports for the reasons mentioned above. The doctors might recommend exercise as a part of asthma treatment and this is confirmed by the report of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. It says that more than 20 percent top-notch athletes suffer from asthma, including one-sixth of all Olympic athletes in USA. This stat shows that suffering from asthma should not prevent you from participating in active sports.

However, some kind of sports activity may also flare up an asthma attack. In order to prevent the patient from this, they should remember that sports are allowed only if their condition is under control. Moreover, some types of sports are less likely to cause problems such as swimming, leisurely biking and walking.

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