Summary
C. Warren Blerman M.D. and
William E. Pierson M.D.
Asthma is the most frequent chronic respiratory illness of childhood. It is the number one cause of school absenteeism and forces afflicted youngsters to miss a total of 9 million school days annually. Athma and other respiratory allergies such as hay fever and perennial allergic rhinitis account for nearly one third of all chronic conditions in children Under 17 years of age.
Among many of these young people, bronchosmasm induced by exercise is a physical handicap which is frequently overlooked by the child's parents, physician, teachers and often by the child himself. This condition may have lasting physical and psychological effects, for the individual with exercise bronchospasm may avoid sports and other physical activities. This can result in poor physical condition and poor self-image, which is reinforced by ridicule from peers, teachers, and physical education instructors.
Exercise-induced asthma (EIA) or exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB) as it has been variously termed has been mentioned from time to time in medical writings since the third century A.D. Only during the past decade, however, has it been studied in a systematic fashion as to incidence, physiological changes, and pharmacological therapy. Few of these studies, however, are readily available to pediatricians.
This symposium has been organized to compile existing knowledge concerning exercise and asthma for physicians caring for allergic children and adolescents as a guide to early recognition since effective therapy is available for EIB. Thus, the physician's goal should be pharmacologic prevention rather than physical restriction, so that the child can participate in normal activities with his peers with the resulting physical and emotional benefits.
