Can asthma be cured?
At this point in time there is no cure for asthma.

But we can control asthma very well with different medicines. When your asthma is under control, you can feel like you don’t have asthma anymore. Sometimes, when a person has their asthma well controlled and they feel good, they think that they don’t need to take their asthma medicines any more. Unfortunately, what often happens is that the asthma comes back soon after the medicine is stopped. You should always talk to your healthcare provider before stopping your asthma medicines, even if you feel good.


Will I outgrow my asthma?
As children grow, their asthma can change. Some children do seem to outgrow their asthma. In other children, their asthma may get better, but not go away altogether. Some children’s asthma stays the same or even gets worse. It is impossible to know ahead of time who will outgrow it and who won’t.

Even though a child may outgrow their asthma, this may take many years. No matter what will happen to your child’s asthma in the future, it is important to treat the asthma they are having now.


Can I exercise with asthma?
Yes you can exercise with asthma.

It is true that in many people, exercise is one of the triggers of asthma. But exercise is healthy for everyone, including kids with asthma. You should not have to limit your exercise because of your asthma. Your clinician will recommend different medicines to help control your asthma while you exercise.

With proper treatment, you should be able to do any type of exercise or participate in any type of sport. In fact, many Olympic athletes have asthma and have gone on to win gold medals!


Did I give asthma to my child?
While asthma tends to run in families, there is nothing a pregnant woman can do or not do to make her child develop asthma.


Is asthma contagious?
No, asthma is not contagious. You can’t catch asthma from anyone like you catch a cold.


Won’t the steroids make him/her develop huge muscles?
No, the steroids used for asthma will not make your child develop huge muscles.

The steroids used in asthma treatment are different from the steroids used by weightlifters and other athletes. The steroids that are illegally used by athletes are ‘male hormone’ steroids. These ‘male hormone’ steroids do make muscles grow, but they also have many dangerous side effects. The steroids used in asthma are called ‘glucocorticoid steroids; and are the same type of steroids that everyone makes naturally in their bodies. The steroids used in asthma do not have the same side effects as ‘male hormone’ steroids.


Can we have a pet?
Yes, you can have a pet if you have asthma.

Many people with asthma are allergic to warm furry or feathered pets like cats, dogs, hamsters, rabbits, mice, birds, etc. Sometimes it is easy to know if you are allergic to a pet because the pet makes asthma worse right away. Sometimes you need an allergy test to find out if you have pet allergies.

If you are allergic to a pet, then you should not have that pet. Some people will keep their pets outside, but pets can still bother asthma even if the pet is outside all the time. The best idea is to not have any pet that causes allergies at all.

There are a lot of pets that don’t cause allergies. You may want to consider a frog, snake, lizard, or fish for a pet.


Will asthma or asthma medications affect school or learning?
Asthma medications will not affect school or learning.

Asthma also does not directly affect school or learning. But, if your child’s asthma is not controlled then he/she can miss a lot of school. If a lot of school is missed for any reason, school problems can start. Most of the time school and learning improve after asthma medicines are started. This is because children are able to go to school more often and concentrate better if their asthma is under control.


What kind of side effects do the medications have?
In general, asthma medicines are very safe. However, even the safest medicines can have side effects. The side effects of most asthma medicines are uncommon. The side effects are usually mild and go away quickly. The side effects vary depending on the type of medication. Please refer to medications for more detailed information


How is asthma diagnosed?

Your clinician can diagnose asthma by taking a medical history and doing a physical examination.

There is no special ‘test’ or ‘x-ray’ that can diagnose asthma. Sometimes tests are done to help your clinician add to the history and examination findings. But, there is no test that must be done on every child. Common tests that are sometimes done on some children include: allergy tests, lung function tests; chest and/or sinus x-rays. There are other tests that look for diseases that are different from asthma.

Many times, clinicians will give a child some asthma medicines to see if they get better. The child’s response to the medicines helps to make the diagnosis of asthma.


Is my child too young to have asthma?
No. Asthma can be diagnosed at any age. It is possible to make the diagnosis of asthma even in young infants.


Will my child die from asthma?
It is natural for any parent who has a child with a serious disease to worry if their child will die. It is true that some children die from asthma. But, it is very uncommon for a child to die from asthma. Out of about 4,000,000 children under 14 years old with asthma about 170 die each year. Most of the time, these deaths could have been prevented if the asthma was kept under control and asthma symptoms were not ignored. It is very important to treat every child with asthma as best we can. All asthma attacks, even mild ones, should be treated quickly. We expect all children with asthma to live long and healthy lives.


Are asthma medicines addictive?
None of the asthma medicines are addictive. People do not get dependent on their asthma medicines. But you should remember that asthma medicines do not ‘cure’ asthma, they only ‘control’ the symptoms of asthma. That means that if you stop taking asthma medicines, your asthma will start to cause symptoms again.


Do asthma medicines help people who don’t have asthma?
No. If someone who does not have asthma takes asthma medicines, they will not feel any better. Asthma medicines can not make you “high”. If you don’t have asthma, taking asthma medicines will not make you breathe better, or exercise better or do better in sports. Asthma medicines will only help people who have asthma.


Will the steroids used to treat asthma affect my child’s ability to have babies?
No. The steroids used to treat asthma do not affect a person’s ability to get pregnant and have babies. In fact, most asthma medicines are safe to take during pregnancy and do not harm the unborn baby.