Children heading back to school could also be facing a health threat because asthma peaks in September. Medical specialist Dr. Marla Shapiro has some information and some tips to help find out if you are affected by asthma in the fall.

The U.S. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute has just issued new guidelines for the treatment of asthma in children.

It acknowledges for the first time that children aged 5 - 11 have different treatment needs than adults.

Data has shown that hospitals see a spike in emergency visits for children and adults suffering from asthma in the 38th week of the year, which falls in mid-September.

Some asthmatics who have been feeling well over the summer months will have stopped taking their medication. At the same time, this is a peak period for common-cold outbreaks. An additional factor is that ragweed is still lingering in the air and it is "the perfect storm" for asthmatics.

Roughly 25 per cent of all children's asthma hospitalizations occurs in the five-week period after they go back to school.

A factor in this spike in asthma is that children going back to school are exposed to other kids again, exposed to the cold virus. This reality could trigger the additional attacks.

On average, the hospitalization rate for school-age children peaks 17.7 days after Labour Day.

The 30-second Asthma Test

1. Do you use your inhaler 1 or more times a week?

2. Do you cough, wheeze or have chest tightness more than once a week?

3. Does coughing, wheezing and chest tightness wake you or your child up at night more than twice a month?

4. Have you stopped exercising because of asthma in the past 3 months?

5. Have you missed work or school because of asthma in the past 3 months?

About Asthma

Asthma is a chronic lung disease that causes shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, as well as coughing and wheezing.

There is no cure for asthma, but it is treatable and patients can control their symptoms and live a normal, active life.

If an asthma attack is not controlled, it can make activities impossible, lead to hospitalization or death.