For Immediate Release Contact: Jo Ann Faber at (847) 427-1200
March 15, 2004 joannfaber@acaai.org
Sporting Events Flunk Test for Asthma Safety
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL – Communities may not be prepared to treat children with exercise-induced asthma episodes during sporting events according to a pilot survey published this month in Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).
One of the main causes of asthma exacerbations in children is physical activity, and yet Ivan Cardona, M.D., and his colleagues at National Jewish Medical and Research Center and University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, found that 75 percent of the children with asthma who were participating in sports did not have rescue medicine available.
Face-to-face surveys were conducted with parents or caretakers of 579 children 12 years and younger in a suburban Philadelphia community. Only 18 of the 80 children reported to have asthma had rescue medicine readily available when participating in sporting events.
Asthma should not deter most children from participating in sports. According to the report, appropriate therapy will allow 90 percent of individuals with exercise-induced bronchospasm to control their symptoms and be able to participate in any vigorous activity. Inhalation of a Beta 2-agonist 15 to 20 minutes before exercise, as well as having access to a Beta 2-agonist inhaler in case of an episode are components of appropriate therapy.
Investigators recommend that measures be taken to improve the quality of care of asthmatic children involved in community sports, and propose including a Beta 2-agonist bronchodilator in first aid kits.
The ACAAI is a professional medical organization comprising 4,963 qualified allergists-immunologists and related health care professionals. The College is dedicated to the clinical practice of allergy, asthma and immunology through education and research to promote the highest quality of patient care.