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Long term health conditions >> Women 24+ >> Nicola - Interview 13 >> Thinks that people should be given written information when they are diagnosed and also have opportunities to get more information as they grow older.

Nicola has moderate asthma and needs to take her inhaler everyday to keep her symptoms under control. She does not get many asthma attacks now, but is prone to developing bronchitis which can last for up to a week. Nicola recently saw an asthma nurse and found it most useful. It provided an opportunity to discuss her asthma and treatment in detail.

Long term health conditions >> Women 24+ >> Nicola - Interview 13 >> Says that at the age of seven she was just a bit short of breath but that her physical problems have got worse since then.

Long term health conditions >> Men 16-18 >> Tomas - Interview 09 >> Has more asthma attacks when the weather is bad, or if he does not uses his inhaler before doing sport. He also needs to try to avoid dust mites and p

Tomas has had asthma since he was six months old. Apart from asthma, Tomas has developed various allergies and he attends a specialised hospital clinic. He says that the work that Asthma UK does at schools has helped to improve the understanding of the condition among teachers and children.

Long term health conditions >> Men 16-18 >> David - Interview 20 >> He says that his asthma would of course get worse if he were to start smoking and stop doing exercise. He drinks very little alcohol and tries to avoi

David was diagnosed with asthma at the age of 5 and his mother thinks that it was triggered off by a really bad cold. His asthma is mild and he is not on regular medication but he uses his inhaler before doing sports. He sees a specialist nurse once a year for check ups.

Long term health conditions >> Men 16-18 >> Tomas - Interview 09 >> Has played rugby since the age of six and has found that if he uses his inhaler before any game or training session he is usually fine.

Long term health conditions >> Men 16-18 >> Tomas - Interview 09 >> Says that just knowing that he is able to play rugby makes him feel better.

Long term health conditions >> Women 24+ >> Nicola - Interview 13 >> Thinks that GPs and nurses have different roles when it comes to help her with the long-term and everyday control of her asthma and its symptoms.

Long term health conditions >> Men 16-18 >> David - Interview 20 >> He has found that sport has definitely helped him to control his asthma.

Long term health conditions >> Women 24+ >> Nicola - Interview 13 >> A review with a specialist nurse showed her that she was not using her inhalers correctly.

Long term health conditions >> Men 16-18 >> Tomas - Interview 09 >> Was diagnosed with asthma at age 6 months and was given his first inhaler at the age of two. He is able to control his asthma better than when he was

Long term health conditions >> Women 24+ >> Nicola - Interview 13 >> From experience she knows that if she gets wheezy and does not have her medication with her she will feel horrible and her evening will be interrupted

Long term health conditions >> Men 16-18 >> Tomas - Interview 09 >> His PE teacher seemed not to realise the seriousness of his asthma and would sometimes ask him to take part in physical activities even when he was no

Long term health conditions >> Women 24+ >> Nicola - Interview 13 >> Her boss used to have asthma so he understood when she was off sick with bronchitis. Does not think that her asthma is an obstacle for the type of wor

Long term health conditions >> Men 16-18 >> David - Interview 20 >> Keep calm if your asthma starts to worry you and tell your friends what to do if you have a bad asthma attack. Join the activities organised by Kick A

Publication date: October 2007 Last updated: February 2012

Review date: February 2014

Various long-term health conditions can occur in young people. We interviewed 30 young people about their experiences of different chronic illnesses. Select from the key topics below, choose from the full list of topics on the right hand side of this page, or explore all the interviews by clicking on people's stories below.

Sophie says: “I've had a good weekend despite my lungs not feeling too good. My boyfriend's training to climb Mount Kilimanjaro so we have been hiking!”
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