{"id":3246,"date":"2011-01-11T13:53:17","date_gmt":"2011-01-11T18:53:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ehealth.cooperhealth.org\/?p=3246"},"modified":"2011-01-11T13:53:17","modified_gmt":"2011-01-11T18:53:17","slug":"athletics-and-asthma-in-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/ehealth\/2011\/01\/11\/athletics-and-asthma-in-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"Athletics and Asthma in Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AthleticsDoes your child\u2019s coach know what to do if your son or daughter has an asthma attack on the field or court?<\/p>\n

The answer may surprise you: Probably not.<\/p>\n

According to a recent study, only half of kids\u2019 sports coaches said they knew more than one symptom of asthma, and one third said they weren\u2019t trained well enough to deal with asthma in their players. Nearly 10 percent of American children have asthma, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Exercise or cold weather can trigger symptoms. For most, those symptoms can be controlled in advance or by taking medication during the activity.<\/p>\n

Ill-informed about asthma symptoms<\/h3>\n

The study, presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians, in Vancouver, Canada, on November 1, 2010, surveyed 122 coaches who worked with children ages 6 to 18. The sports represented were baseball, football, lacrosse, soccer, and swimming.<\/p>\n

Very few coaches could recall a single action they could take to help an athlete who was having an asthma attack.<\/p>\n

In addition, many said they had no ready access to medical help during practice or games. Only half of the coaches had taken either a basic life-support or first-aid training course during the last two years.<\/p>\n

Most coaches felt the students or their parents should be responsible for carrying medication, and most didn’t want to be directly involved in giving the medication to the child.<\/p>\n

But often, children or teens don’t let their coaches know they use asthma medications. Just 42 percent of the coaches said they had been told when a child had taken medication for asthma symptoms.<\/p>\n

Talk with your child\u2019s coach<\/h3>\n

Cooper University Hospital physician Maria Lania-Howarth, MD<\/a>, Head of the Division of Allergy & Immunology at the Children\u2019s Regional Hospital at Cooper<\/a>, said parents need to talk with their child’s coach to make sure the coach understands asthma and what symptoms to look for in their child.<\/p>\n

“Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children, and even a child with mild asthma can suffer a severe asthma attack and end up in the hospital,\u201d Dr. Lania-Howarth said. She advises parents to tell the coach when their child has taken medication before practice or a game, and to let the coach know each time their child needs a rescue medication.<\/p>\n

Dr. Lania-Howarth also noted that some children have asthma that\u2019s triggered by exercise. Symptoms can occur during or shortly after physical activity.<\/p>\n

Symptoms may include:<\/h3>\n