New guide to Childhood Asthma - by Dr Peter Greally

A new guide to dealing with children's allergies has just been published.

Childhood Asthma:Your Questions Answered is written by Dr Peter Greally, a consultant paediatrician and expert in allergies and asthma, who himself has asthma.

The book offers practical and professional advice and reassurance to people with asthma and their families and is published to coincide with World Asthma Day on May 3.

Childhood Asthma explains the causes and effects of asthma; different forms of allergies; eczema; inflammation; and more.

The book also details exactly what causes an asthma attack as well as how best to prevent them and what to do if they occur.

It stresses that managed effectively, asthma can potentially cause little or no effect to a sufferer's life - this is particularly evident by the number of high-profile athletes that have asthma.

Peter Greally first encountered asthma as a young boy when he would wake in the middle of the night, gasping for air. He was brought to an eminent professor of paediatrics, who proclaimed that his symptoms were due to anxiety. Eventually, one morning after such an episode, a young, enlightened family doctor saw him and diagnosed asthma. Most doctors now recognise that although there can be powerful mind-body interactions, the evidence for the inflammatory basis for asthma is undisputed. Thanks to the many drugs which can control asthma, virtually all asthmatic children can now lead normal lives.

Childhood Asthma details what exactly can cause an asthmatic attack, how best to prevent them, and what to do when they occur. This book explains inflammation; different forms of allergies; eczema; the causes of asthma; the signs of an asthmatic attack; common triggers, and ensures any asthma sufferer – their parent, guardian, teacher – is able to safely deal with an occurrence. Managed effectively there could potentially be little or no effect on a sufferer; this is evident in the number of high-profile athletes in particular that have asthma. These include Ireland and Manchester United footballer John O'Shea; his fellow Manchester United player Paul Scholes, Irish rubgy player Ronan O'Gara and former player Denis Hickie; and GAA's Martin Comerford, Aidan O'Mahony, and Tommy Dowd.

The book is published by Liberties Press.