Not necessarily — and this is one of the most important distinctions I make at Pulmovista Clinics. Episodic viral wheeze — where a child wheezes only during respiratory infections and is completely well between illnesses — is extremely common in young children and frequently resolves by school age. True asthma involves persistent or recurrent symptoms beyond the context of acute viral infections, and is more likely when there is a strong family history of atopy, when the child has eczema or allergic rhinitis, and when wheeze is triggered by allergens or exercise as well as viruses. I assess both patterns carefully at Pulmovista — because the management approach differs significantly.