Expert: MARK A. HOWELL - 9/25/2009

Question
i am 21 and looking into joining the force but i have accute asthma. would this be an automatic discharge or no. can you give me some info on this.

Answer
Jeremy,
Yes, Asthma is a disqualifier.  The  military medical regulations state exactly, "The causes for rejection for enlistment and induction are:  Asthma, including reactive airway disease, exercise induced bronchospasm or asthmatic bronchitis, reliably diagnosed at any age.  Reliable diagnostic criteria should consist of any of the following elements:

(1) Substantiated history of cough, wheeze, and/or dyspnea that persists or recurs over a prolonged period of time, generally more than 6 months.

(2) If the diagnosis of asthma is in doubt, a test for reversible airflow obstruction (greater than a 15 percent increase in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEVI) following administration of an inhaled bronchodilator) or airway hyperactivity (exaggerated decrease in airflow induced by standard bronchoprovocation challenge such as methacholine inhalation or a demonstration of exercise-induced bronchospasm) must be performed."

So if your asthma is acute, then you cannot join the military.  These regulations are valid for all Branches of the Service.

The reasons for disqualification are because the stress brought on by the physical demands of military life, can cause permanent damage to your airways.  Losing your breath easily or shortness of breath and feeling very tired or weak can make it nearly impossible to perform some physical tasks.  It's hard to conduct silent operations on a mission when you need to cough, especially at night.  Asthma can also cause trouble sleeping and you can't function well with a lack of sleep.  What happens if you lose your asthma inhaler or anti-inflammatory medications?  I've been on missions that I can't talk about where there was NO medicine or medical care available.

I know that's not what you were probably hoping to hear, but it's the facts.
Thanks for wanting to serve.
Colonel H