Many children with asthma suffer because their disease is poorly controlled, causing sudden attacks and unplanned trips to the doctor's office or emergency rooms each year, according to a recent national survey.
The survey found that asthma interferes with many aspects of family life.
Parents worry about allowing their kids to play at someone else's house or to enjoy vigorous activities.
They fear permanent damage to lungs and respiratory system.
Cockroaches may be a major cause of the high level of asthma in children in inner cities, a major national study reports today.
Children who were allergic to cockroaches and who lived in roach-infested homes were hospitalized far more often for asthma and made more unplanned trips to a doctor because of asthma than other children, according to the study "They also had significantly more days of wheezing, missed school days, and nights with lost sleep" than children who are not exposed to these pests.
For millions of children with asthma, taking a deep breath is the stuff of dreams.
Every breath they take is a struggle to provide their lungs with enough oxygen.
They cough and wheeze, attacks brought on by allergies, pollution or secondhand smoke.
Asthma is a chronic condition in which the lining of the lungs becomes inflamed when antigens or other stimuli are introduced.
Attacks, characterized by wheezing and coughing, can be mild or can be fatal if left untreated.
It's a common dilemma among children with asthma.
Fellow classmates, frightened by the lung disease, hesitate to get close to them.
Adults, including child-care providers, also approach children with asthma cautiously.
Many adults who are highly educated fail to understand that asthma is defnitely not contagious.
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