Teenage asthma

Being a teenager can be confusing enough without the added dimension of dealing with asthma. Asthma UK is committed to helping young people live free from asthma symptoms through cutting-edge research.

In childhood, boys are more likely than girls to be diagnosed with asthma, but as puberty kicks in the picture changes – asthma is more common in teenage girls than boys. This difference is partly due to hormone changes, but there could also be other factors at play, such as differences in exercise habits and relative body size and weight.

Teenagers with asthma can be unwilling to carry inhalers with them because of peer pressure, and they sometimes take a blasé attitude to their health, making them unwilling to use preventer inhalers to protect their lungs.

But cold viruses, pollen allergies and bursts of exercise can quickly cause their asthma to worsen.

However, teenagers can also be much more willing than others to take advantage of new technologies. And, with good communication and clear explanation, they can take positive steps towards being responsible for their own health and well-being.

Asthma UK has funded a number of projects particularly relevant to young people, such as a Scottish-based project to exploit mobile phone technology led by Dr Dermot Ryan. And, in 2009, Asthma UK funded a new project led by Dr Stephen Till in London to create more effective hay fever vaccines that hold the potential to dramatically improve a teenager’s quality of life.