Nearly 20 percent of people who don't already have asthma can develop the condition during or immediately after exercise, according to KidsHealth online. Known as exercise-induced asthma or exercise-induced bronchospasm, the condition leads to difficulty breathing and can affect everyone from young children to athletes. Take proper precautions so that you can continue exercising without risking your health.
Symptoms
Symptoms of exercise-related asthma include wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, coughing, inability to exercise for more than a few minutes, fatigue or a feeling of being winded during exercise and, in rare cases, chest pain. These symptoms may occur a few minutes after you start exercising or five to 20 minutes after you finish exercising.
Causes
Several factors can trigger exercise-induced asthma. These include air pollutants, high pollen levels, physical inactivity, having a viral respiratory infection, certain chemicals such as chlorine or paint and certain types of exercise. Doctors believe the main cause of exercise-induced asthma is cold, dry air. During exercise, as your need for air increases, you begin to breathe quickly through your mouth. Normally, you breathe slowly through your nose, which warms and humidifies the air before reaching your lungs. Without this warming action, cold, dry air reaches the lungs, causing the airways to narrow, blocking the flow of air and triggering an asthma attack.
Treatment
Your doctor may recommend taking medication before exercise to prevent asthma-related symptoms. Known as bronchodilators, the medication helps widen and relax airways to prevent an asthma attack. Alternatively, your doctor also may prescribe a medication that helps control your asthma over the long term. These are often anti-inflammatory drugs such as corticosteroids, which help reduce and relieve airway inflammation.
Prevention
Avoid the triggers that may cause your asthma attack. Warm up with stretching or light aerobic exercises such as walking before you start exercising to prevent chest tightening. If you exercise on a cold, dry day, breathe through your nose or wear a scarf over your nose and mouth. Avoid exercising while you have a cold or when air pollution and pollen levels are high. Choose exercises such as swimming, walking, biking or hiking, rather than endurance sports such as soccer, basketball and hockey, the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology advises. The warm, moist air of swimming helps prevent asthma symptoms while endurance sports that require extended amounts of energy tend to trigger asthma symptoms. Remember to breathe through your nose during exercise and to cool down after exercising to help change the temperature of the air reaching your lungs. Take your bronchodilator medication 10 to 15 minutes before exercising and any medication your doctor prescribes to control your symptoms over the long term, at least 30 minutes before exercising, MedlinePlus recommends.
Warning
Seek immediate medical treatment if your asthma symptoms worsen during exercise. If you continue to experience shortness of breath or wheezing, even after taking your medication, go to your nearest urgent care center or to the emergency room.
References
- KidsHealth; Exercise-Induced Asthma; October 2010
- MedlinePlus: Exercise-Induced Asthma
- American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology: Tips to Remember --- Asthma and Exercise
- MayoClinic.com; Exercise-Induced Asthma; Mayo Clinic Staff
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Exercise-Induced Asthma
