DAVID Beckham's agent has admitted the 34-year-old has been an asthma sufferer for years - but insists it hasn't stopped him from reaching the pinnacle of the sport.

Beckham was pictured using an inhaler during LA Galaxy's MLS Cup final defeat to Real Salt Lake and Simon Oliveira admitted to the Daily Mail: 'David has suffered with this since he was a young boy but it has obviously had no effect on his performance.

'He has never sought to make it public but if it does inspire any sufferer to think they can achieve great things like many other sportsmen have done then so much the better.'

Indeed, Beckham's success as football's global icon is testimony that anyone suffering from the condition can still make it to the top level of the sport.

Beckham played extra time with Galaxy for the second time in two weeks on Sunday and was coughing badly after the game having struggled with a cold in the build-up to the MLS final.

The former Real Madrid and Manchester United midfielder will rejoin AC Milan on loan in January as he bids to make England's World Cup squad for next year's Finals in South Africa.

Dr Mike Thomas, chief medical advisor to Asthma UK, believes the England star can provide inspiration for youngsters wishing to reach the top in their chosen activity.

Asthma is a serious condition for many people and can be life threatening, but for Beckham it has not been a barrier to success.

'There are more than five million people with asthma in the UK and 76 per cent of people with asthma tell us that exercise is a trigger for their condition,' said Thomas.

'Asthma is particularly common among elite sports people like Paul Scholes and Paula Radcliffe, who both suffer with the condition, proof that asthma need not stop you competing at the highest level.'

Scottish rugby union international Scott MacLeod also maintains that having asthma does not mean curtailing sporting ambitions.

MacLeod was cleared by an independent judicial committee last year to continue to play the game after he was found to have inadvertently taken a prohibited asthma medication without the required permission.

Gordon Brown, Asthma UK Scotland's public affairs and communications manager, commented: 'What Scott's case has done is show that if you learn to manage your asthma and take the correct medication, there's no reason why you shouldn't play sport at the highest possible level.

'Of course, not everyone has the same severity of asthma but the basic message remains the same; for most people, asthma should not stop you doing any type of exercise as long as you consult your doctor regularly, keep your asthma well controlled and take the correct medicine.'

Endurance sports are most likely to cause problems for people with exercise-induced asthma, including long-distance running, cross-country skiing and cycling.

Symptoms of exercise-induced asthma include coughing, wheezing, tightness in the chest and difficulty in breathing.

With proper training and medication, people with exercise-induced asthma can take part in any sport they choose.

A total of 20 per cent of the British Olympic squad in 2004 had asthma, while there has been an increase in the number and percentage of athletes competing in Olympic Games notifying the use of Beta-2-Agonists (which relax and open up the airways), from 1.7 per cent at Los Angeles (1984) to 5.5 per cent at Sydney (2000).

A diagnosis of asthma cannot be made in elite athletes on the basis of respiratory symptoms alone and spirometric evidence which determines the capacity of the lungs is needed to confirm the diagnosis.

Inhaled steroids are the most effective drugs for long-term control of asthma and prevention of exercise-induced asthma.

Exercise induced asthma is actually quite rare with only 10-11 per cent of people with asthma affected.

Swimming is a very asthma-friendly sport. It helps control breathing and the warm, moist air creates an ideal environment.

PA Sport