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Sports and Sthma

Summary

To play and practise sport is inherent to children and adolescents.
Children with asthma are able to practise sports. In fact, sport is good for their disease:

-Children and adolescents with asthma improve their lung function.
-Sport prevent obesity (overweight is bad for correct respiratory movements)
-Children-adolescents with asthma feeling good and "normal" (like other children and adolescents without ashtma).

Parents always ask the same question "is my child able to practise sport?" Now, you know the answer:
Yes, of course !

What kind of activities they can do?

Children and adolescents with asthma can:

• do gym in school
• practise the sport they want
• practise any competition sport

Many important sportmen and sportwomen have got asthma. About 8-10% athletes in the three last Olympic Games had got asthma.

Chosing an Sport

Every child must choose any sport he/she wants to play. This is the best strategy in order to choose an sport.

Usually sports like

• football
• soccer
• athletics
• basketball
• cross country

produce more asthma attacks than others like:

• swimming
• tennis
• badminton
• karate and similars...

but remember our strategy.

Famous Sportmen and Sportwomen with asthma

Jackie Joyner-Kersee (USA), 
Six-time Olympic gold medalist (athletics)

Tom Dolan (USA), 
World record in the 400m and olympic gold medalist (swimmer)

Miguel Indurain (Spain), 
Five-time Tour de France winner and Olympic gold medalist (cycling)

Jose Luis González (Spain), 
World record 1500 m indoor (athletics)

Kurt Grote (USA), 
Olympic gold medalist 1996 (swimmer)

Bruce Davidson (USA), 
Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist (equestrian)

Nancy Hogshead (USA), 
Tree-times Olympicgold medalist (swimmer)

Bill Kock (USA), 
Olympic medalist (cross-country skier)

Dennis Rodman (USA), 
Basketball player

Jim (Catfish) Hunter (USA) 
Baseball player

Alex Züelle (Switzerland), 
Vuelta a España winner (cycling)

What do I do if  my child suffers an asthma attack during Sport?

• stop sport inmediatly
• take correct medicine for quick relief (inhaled b2 agonist)
• contact with your doctor
  

Measures to prevent asthma attacks during sports

• correct training is the best way to prevent asthma attack (before sport: warming up, preheating, muscle stretching, and when sport has finished, streching and cooling down)
• some children need to take medicine before starting sport.
  If you need it never forget it !