Madam, - As an asthmatic and an athlete, I must take exception to Brian Dermody's letter of September 5th, which implies that many athletes falsely claim to suffer from asthma so they may enjoy the "benefits" of salbutamol and other medication. I should point out that according to the Asthma Society of Ireland's website, roughly one in 20 adults suffer from asthma (in children the figure is around one in seven).
If these figures are representative in the field of sport, then about one in every 20 athletes is asthmatic.
It is largely thanks to modern medicines (such as inhalers containing salbutamol) that I, along with thousands of other asthma sufferers, am able to participate fully in sport. While I do not condone the use of drugs in sport, I believe asthmatics should not be discriminated against. - Yours, etc.,
MANUS CRONIN, Beaufort Downs, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14.