Exercise-Induced Asthma
Exercise-induced asthma is a narrowing of the airways brought on by physical activity, causing symptoms that settle again once you rest. It can happen in people who have asthma the rest of the time, and in people who otherwise have no breathing problems at all.
Symptoms
Symptoms often appear a little way into activity, or after stopping, rather than right at the start. Any of the following is worth paying attention to.
Coughing and wheezing during or after activity
Chest tightness
Breathlessness that feels out of proportion to how hard you're working
Unusual tiredness during activity
What Makes It Worse
Cold, dry air is one of the biggest aggravating factors, which is why symptoms are often more noticeable during outdoor activity in winter. High pollen days can have a similar effect for people whose airways are also reactive to allergens.
Activity during, or soon after, a cold or a chest infection also tends to make symptoms more likely. The airways are already irritated at that point, so the added demand of exercise can tip things over.
Why It Gets Missed
This condition is missed constantly, and usually for the same reasons. A child is told they are unfit or not trying hard enough. An adult assumes they have simply lost their conditioning and quietly stops running, or cycling, or keeping up on the field.
Rather than asking why an activity became hard, people tend to just do less of it. If you or your child is unable to keep up with peers during sport or exercise, that is worth investigating, not accepting as the way things are.
How We Diagnose It
Diagnosis starts with a careful history of what happens during and after activity: what you feel, when it starts to build, and how long it takes to settle once you stop. That pattern tells us a great deal before any testing takes place.
We use pulmonary function testing to measure how well your lungs are working and how your airways respond, which helps confirm whether exercise-induced asthma is actually the cause of your symptoms.
Where an allergic trigger is suspected alongside it, allergy testing may also be used as part of the evaluation.
How We Treat It
The aim of treatment is to let you keep playing sport and staying active, not to give it up. Our approach includes:
Managing Medication
We help you manage medication for exercise-induced asthma, including medication taken before activity.
Warm-Up and Planning
A proper warm-up before activity, along with sensible planning around cold air and high pollen days, can make a real difference.
Identifying and Avoiding Other Triggers
We work with you to identify any other triggers that may be contributing and how to reduce exposure to them.
An Individual Treatment Plan
We build a treatment plan specific to you and review it with you over time.