Asthma is not a shame

Statistics show that asthma and allergic rhinitis are one of the most common causes of pupils' absence from school today. For this reason, teachers and parents of young patients should also be aware of several important issues. First and foremost, that these diseases can be associated with difficulties in functioning at school.

- They can cause negative stress reactions, increased anxiety or emotional vacillation in the child. Some children with asthma may find it difficult to form good relationships with their peers," says Dr. Renata Zubrzycka, who herself has experience raising children with allergies , "Of course, we must remember that this is not the rule. Whether any of these disorders occur depends on many different factors. On the one hand, it depends on the course of the disease and the methods of treatment, and on the other, to a large extent, on the attitude of the parents or carers of the young patient, she adds.

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This is why the knowledge of teachers, educators and parents of the patient about the course and treatment of asthma and allergic diseases is so important. It appears, for example, that in Poland it is not an isolated case that parents do not inform teachers about their child's disease. As many as one-third of parents participating in the study admitted this.

This is a big mistake. A teacher who does not know that a child is chronically ill does not realise that at certain times of the year, or at certain stages of treatment, the child may have a reduced capacity, not only physically, but also intellectually. For example, a pupil who suffers from pollen-induced allergic rhinitis may find it more difficult to concentrate during pollen periods when he or she is taking antihistamines. The child may also not accept their illness or may even be ashamed of it.