[Management of the asthmatic adolescent]

Bronchial asthma is a chronic condition that is on the increase in adolescents as it is among other age groups; often under-diagnosed it prevalently affects males and is 10% sustained by an allergic diathesis. Adolescence, with its peculiarities and characteristic psychological and physical changes affects the clinical expression of asthma and above all requires particular diagnostic and therapeutic attention from the treating paediatrician. The physician should act as a direct, credible interlocutor of the adolescent. Regular sporting activity appropriate to the subject's age and asthmatic condition, and under close medical supervision, must be recommended in the asthmatic adolescent. Bronchial asthma in adolescence often presents as asthma due to physical effort. The onset of asthma must not represent an impediment to regular physical activity; adequate management strategies are however necessary (so as to prevent the symptom occurring after effort). These strategies range from the choice of type of training (environment and work loads) to pharmacological prevention measures. The asthmatic adolescent may also perform physical activity at competitive level although in this case special attention must be paid to the choice of drugs so as to avoid running into problems of disqualification due to doping.