What Is Exercise-Induced Asthma?
It's when your airways squeeze or get narrow during physical activity. Its medical term is exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. It can cause coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath during and after exercise. It can be life-threatening if not treated.
About 90% of people with asthma have this condition. You can also have it if you don't have asthma.
What Causes Exercise-Induced Asthma?
It's not totally clear. Experts used to think it was caused by cold air, but recent studies suggest dry air causes it.
During normal breathing, the air you take in is first warmed and moistened by your nasal passages. But it's common to breathe through your mouth during exercise, inhaling colder and drier air. In exercise-induced asthma, muscle bands around your airways are sensitive to these changes in temperature and humidity and react by contracting, which narrows your airway.
Other factors, such as chlorine in swimming pools, may also play a role. They can irritate the lining of your airways and make it harder to breathe.
If I Have Asthma, Should I Avoid Exercise?
No. There are steps you can take to help prevent asthma symptoms and maintain your normal physical activity. Many athletes, including those at the Olympic level, compete while managing their asthma.
What Are Symptoms of Exercise-Induced Asthma?
They include:
- Coughing with asthma
- Tightening of your chest
- Wheezing
- Unusual fatigue while exercising
- Shortness of breath while exercising
- Less than your typical performance level in sports
- Avoiding physical activity (often seen in young children)
These symptoms usually begin 5-20 minutes after you start to exercise, or 5 -10 minutes after brief exercise has stopped. They can last for an hour or longer if untreated. If you're having any of these symptoms, tell your doctor.
How Is Exercise-Induced Asthma Diagnosed?
Your doctor will ask about your medical history and give you a physical exam. They may test your lung function and rule out other health issues with tests such as:
Lung function test. Your doctor will use a device called a spirometer to see how well your lungs work when you're not exercising. It measures how much you inhale, how much you exhale, and how fast you exhale. Your doctor might give you a medicine called a bronchodilator to open up your lungs. They might then repeat the lung function test to compare results. This test helps them know if you have chronic asthma.
Exercise challenge test. You'll run on a treadmill or do another exercise to increase your breathing rate.
Methacholine challenge breathing test. You inhale the drug methacholine to narrow your airways, similar to what happens in exercise. Then your doctor gives you another lung function test.
What Are the Best Exercises for Someone With Asthma?
Some activities are better than others for exercise-induced asthma. Swimming may be a good choice when done in a warm, humid environment. Its horizontal position also helps move mucus from the bottom of your lungs.
Golf, baseball, and other activities that involve short bursts of energy can also be good choices. Also, consider activities that are easy to self-pace. Those include walking, yoga, biking, and hiking.
How Do You Treat Exercise-Induced Asthma?
Your doctor may give you medicines such as ipratropium (Atrovent HFA) or short-acting beta-agonists (SABAs) to take shortly before you exercise. You can also use these for quick relief from symptoms, but don't take them more than prescribed.
Your doctor also might give you long-term meds to manage your condition when pre-exercise meds aren't enough. Those may include inhaled corticosteroids, combination inhalers, and leukotriene modifiers. But leukotriene modifiers have been linked to mood changes and suicidal thoughts. Let your doctor know right away if you have these side effects. If you're having thoughts of suicide, call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline anytime, night or day.
Can I Prevent Exercise-Induced Asthma?
You can help prevent or lessen your symptoms with these tips:
- Do 15 minutes of warm-up before your regular exercise.
- Breathe through your nose to help warm air before it reaches your lungs.
- Wear a scarf or mask on your face when exercising in dry or cold air.
- Avoid highly polluted areas, including roads with lots of traffic.
- Stay away from allergy triggers, such as pollen.
If your child has exercise-induced asthma, make an action plan with their doctor and give it to their teachers and coaches.
Takeaways
- About 90% of people with asthma have exercise-induced asthma.
- You can also have it if you don't have asthma.
- Its medical term is exercise-induced bronchoconstriction.
- It can cause coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath during and after exercise.
- It can be life-threatening if not treated.
- With treatment, you can still exercise and compete in sports.
Exercise-Induced Asthma FAQs
Can asthma be triggered by exercise?
Yes. You can get asthma symptoms from exercise, whether or not you have chronic asthma.
Can exercise-induced asthma disappear?
Symptoms usually go away after an hour, unless you take meds to make them go away quicker.
How common is exercise-induced asthma?
About 90% of people with asthma have this condition. You can also have it if you don't have asthma.
What activities trigger exercise-induced asthma?
Exercising in dry air or pollution, or around chemicals like chlorine, can be triggers.
