For a child with asthma, a sudden coughing fit or shortness of breath during physical education class can quickly turn into a worrying situation if teachers do not know how to act.
Doctors in the United Arab Emirates strongly recommend that parents ensure that schools have a clear and up-to-date asthma action plan for their children. This plan should contain information about triggers, symptoms, medications, and when emergency medical help is required.
The advice is supported by a multi-center study published in PubMed titled 'Prevalence of Asthma and Allergies Among Children in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Study.' The study found that asthma affected 11.9 percent of children aged 6–7 years and 9.8 percent of children aged 13–14 years.
The study involved 3436 schoolchildren from public and private schools in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, recruited through school registries between March and June 2019. Wheezing—a common symptom of asthma—was recorded in 44.2 percent of younger children and 33.1 percent of children aged 13–14.
Dr. Mohamed Elgezouli, a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (MRCPI) and a family medicine specialist at Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed Hospital in Sharjah, emphasized the critical importance of quick access to a rescue inhaler when symptoms are triggered by physical exertion. He noted: 'It is extremely important. A child experiencing exercise-induced symptoms must receive their rescue inhaler within minutes, not after searching in an office or a locked cabinet.'
He added that teachers should know that coughing, wheezing, or shortness of breath during or shortly after activity are common occurrences in asthma, and that early cessation of activity and use of an inhaler usually prevents deterioration.
Furthermore, he advised teachers to recognize signs requiring immediate medical intervention, such as difficulty speaking normally, visible tension in the chest or neck muscles while breathing, blue lips, extreme fatigue, or no improvement after using the rescue medication. 'If any of this appears, the teacher must administer another inhaler according to instructions, remain calm next to the child, and immediately call emergency services.'
Dr. Mohammed Harris, a pulmonology consultant at Medicare Royal Specialty Hospital, stated that parents are obliged to ensure that schools understand the child's individual asthma pattern. He specified that this should include the child's usual symptoms and triggers, the medications they use, as well as the method and time of taking the rescue inhaler, and any previous history of severe attacks, if relevant.
He explained that an asthma action plan provides a simple and practical algorithm for managing the child's condition at school. This plan should describe the child's regular treatment, early warning signs, actions upon worsening symptoms, when to use the rescue inhaler, and when to seek urgent medical attention. The plan must be given to the relevant school staff and reviewed regularly, especially if the child's treatment or symptoms change.
Medical professionals emphasize that having this information readily available increases the confidence of both the child and the teachers in safely managing asthma.
Dr. Suha Alsheikh Suleiman, a pulmonologist at Burjeel Medical Center in Al Shamkha, reiterated that severe or worsening shortness of breath, difficulty speaking, obvious distress, blue or gray lips, drowsiness, or confusion are signs requiring immediate attention. She recommended: 'The teacher must follow the child's asthma action plan, assist with prescribed medications according to instructions, stay with the child, and call emergency medical services if the child is severely short of breath or does not improve.'