Childhood asthma and exercise.

Children with asthma, similar to most children, enjoy being physically active, participating in school physical education activities, sports, or even just after-school and weekend games. Some of these activities provoke respiratory symptoms in the asthmatic child, a complaint not infrequently heard in the offices of primary care physicians and paediatricians. Occasionally, this is the initial presenting symptom in a child not previously known to have asthma. When physical activity causes symptoms in an asthmatic child, cough and dyspnea are the most common complaints, with chest tightness being a close second. Wheezing is mentioned less often, even when specific inquiries are made.