Asthma is responsible for 17 percent of emergency room visits for toddlers, and cases of asthma in toddlers and children rose 138 percent between 1980 and 1998, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

As more and more toddlers are being diagnosed with asthma, an increasing number of parents are becoming concerned with how having asthma will affect both their toddler's development as well as their quality of life.

Mosby's Medical, Nursing and Allied Health Dictionary defines asthma as "an obstructive respiratory condition characterized by recurring attacks of difficulty breathing, wheezing, prolonged expiration and an irritative cough that is a common, chronic illness in early and middle childhood."

The age of asthma onset in 1980 was between 3 and 8 years, but fell to as young as age 1 in 1998, according to the CDC. "The condition of asthma is as varied as the toddlers and children who suffer from it, thus the importance of seeking advice and treatment from a pediatrician." To: Because the severity of asthma can vary as much as the toddlers and children who suffer from it, it is important to seek advice and treatment from a pediatrician.

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