Prolonged exercise aggravates the symptoms of asthma. Endurance running can cause a condition known as exercise-induced asthma, which is characterized by coughing, wheezing and a tightening of the chest. However, light to moderate exercise over short periods of time does not seem to induce asthmatic symptoms in adults and teenagers. However, children experience more frequent and early symptoms of asthma from physical activity including coughing and wheezing .
Exercise-Induced Asthma
Exercise-induce asthma, or EIA, can be aggravated by endurance athletics, such as running, and is characterized by nighttime coughing, wheezing and bronchoconstriction, which is the tightening of the airways. A study in the August 2007 issue of "Chest" assessed the prevalence of EIA in 55 children subjected to a six-minute controlled run. The researchers divided the children into two groups, those previously diagnosed with asthma and those who were not, and measured their lung capacities and diagnosed their conditions at several time intervals before and after the run. The study found that wheezing and coughing were more frequent in the asthmatic children compared to those without the disease. The authors concluded that running aggravates the symptoms of asthma in an age-dependent manner: the younger children showed symptoms earlier.
Moderate Exercise and Asthma
A moderate duration of endurance training is less likely to aggravate symptoms of asthma, according to a study in the February 2004 issue of the "International Journal of Sports Medicine." Researchers interviewed 95 amateur endurance-trained athletes and found that the average training duration was 10 hours per week and the prevalence of asthma in this group was 4.2 percent, approximately the same as in the general population, but much lower than in elite athletes. The study concluded that moderate endurance training in temperate climates does not exacerbate asthmatic coughing.
Symptoms in Children
An article in the April 2005 issue of "Pediatric Pulmonology" evaluated respiratory symptoms in school-age children before and after a six-minute run. The researchers recruited more than 15,000 children from 149 elementary schools and recorded their clinical symptoms afterward. The most-common symptoms included breathlessness, chest tightness, wheezing and coughing, in that order. The study found that girls were more likely to have asthmatic symptoms after the run than boys, and children living in urban areas were more likely than children from rural areas. However, the authors found no correlation between symptoms and the prevalence of asthma. They concluded that clinical signs and symptoms were not good indicators of exercise-induced asthma in schoolchildren.
Vocal-Cord Dysfunction
Running can trigger a condition known as vocal-cord dysfunction, or VCD, which is characterized by coughing, throat tightness, wheezing and a change in the voice. These symptoms can resemble those of exercise-induced asthma, according to a study in the November 2003 issue of "Current Allergy and Asthma Reports." The author noted that VCD is more predominate in female adolescents and children and often coexists with asthma. The article advises physicians and nurses to confirm abnormal vocal-cord motion using a laryngoscope and to consider VCD in any patient not responding well to asthmatic medication.
References
- "Current Allergy and Asthma Reports"; Vocal Cord Dysfunction in Children and Adolescents; S. Tilles; Novembver 2003
- "Pediatric Pulmonology"; Exercise-Induced Respiratory Symptoms are Poor Predictors of Bronchoconstriction; F. De Baets, et al.; April 2005
- "International Journal of Sports Medicine"; Asthma and Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction in Amateur Endurance-Trained Athletes; P. Kippelen, et al.; February 2004
- "Chest"; Exercise Challenge Test in 3- to 6-Year-Old Asthmatic Children; D. Vilozni, et al.; August 2007
