Many people experience breathing problems while exercising. Exercise-induced shortness of breath, also known as exercise-induced dyspnea, can appear as an increased effort to breathe, shortness of breath, chest tightness, wheezing or coughing. Exercise-induced shortness of breath has multiple causes, ranging from asthma to more serious lung illnesses, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. If you are having trouble breathing while exercising, treat this as a warning signal and seek immediate medical care.
Many Causes
A 2009 study of the causes of exercise-induced shortness of breath done by Professors Pnina Weiss of Yale University and Kenneth Rundell of Marywood University described many different medical conditions that produce exercise-induced shortness of breath. These conditions include being out of shape, obesity, vocal chord abnormalities, anxiety attacks, heart problems, pulmonary blood vessel malformations, pulmonary muscle diseases, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. Weiss and Rundell expressed concern that many patients suffering from exercise-induced shortness of breath are misdiagnosed. According to article, doctors often review patients' self-reported breathing problems and diagnose exercise-induced asthma. The patients are then given asthma medication without further tests.
Exact Diagnosis Important
Because there are so many different causes for exercise-induced shortness of breath, Weiss and Rundell recommend that you find a pulmonary specialist who can administer a spirometry test, which is one of the most accurate tests for asthma, as of the time of publication. You will be asked to breathe into a tube connected to a machine. The machine measures various aspects of your lungs' functions and generates graphs that your pulmonary specialist can review. If your spirometry tests look poor, your pulmonary specialist can confirm a diagnosis of asthma. Your pulmonary specialist may also send you for tests to rule out other illnesses besides asthma, such as chest x-rays or a detailed computerized tomography scan.
Managing Lung Problems
Once you have an exact diagnosis for the cause of your exercise-induced shortness of breath, your next step is to learn as much as you can about your medical condition and how you can keep exercising without worsening it. There are national associations and online support groups that offer useful information from other patients with your medical condition on how to stay fit despite your lung problems. For example, the American Lung Association offers detailed instructions for people coping with exercise-induced asthma while the Cleveland Clinic provides extensive moderate exercise advice for patients dealing with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, designed to help COPD patients stay fit despite damaged lungs.
Maintaining Fitness
Being diagnosed with a medical condition that affects your breathing can be a blow to your morale and fitness aspirations. Keep in mind the advice given by the Ohio State University Medical Center, which asked four of its sports medicine specialists to define one key factor in preventing and treating dozens of diseases. All of the specialists responded that exercise is one of the best medications for illness and that patients managing conditions such as exercise-induced asthma should seek out exercise programs designed for their particular medical conditions. Giving up exercise to avoid breathing problems will only make your lung condition and your general health worse.
References
- Allergy, Asthma and Clinical Immunology; Imitators of Exercise-induced Bronchoconstriction; Pnina Weiss, M.D., et al.; 2009
- American Lung Association: Don't Let Exercise-Induced Asthma Keep You Sidelined
- The Cleveland Clinic: COPD Exercise and Activity Guidelines
- Ohio State University Medical Center: Exercise Is Medicine
- Respiratory Medicine; Airflow Obstruction and Exercise; Christopher B. Cooper, M.D., March 2009
- University of Iowa News and Publications; Exercise-Induced Shortness of Breath Is Not Always Asthma; Apr. 25, 2005
