Like regular asthma, exercise-induced asthma (EIA), involves swollen bronchial tubes in the lungs and the production of excess mucus. However, EIA sufferers may be more sensitive to the amount of moisture in the air than are people who don't experience EIA, and that may contribute to their condition.
Symptoms
EIA symptoms occur between five and 15 minutes after starting exercise. They include wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing and a tight feeling in the chest.
Who's At Risk
People who have a family history of asthma, children and people who take part in winter sports may be especially at risk for EIA.
Treatment
EIA is treated with the same medications as regular asthma, including beta-2 agonists, mast-cell inhibitors or inhaled bronchodialators, taken before exercising.
Sports and EIA
Walking, swimming, hiking, and recreational bicycling are less likely to trigger asthma attacks than cold-weather sports, like cross-country skiing and ice hockey, or sports that require constant motion, such as soccer, marathon running, lacrosse and field hockey.
Prevention
To prevent an EIA attack, patients need to warm up and cool down for at least 15 minutes. Exercising at an indoor gym facility or swimming at an indoor pool---where the warm, moist air is less likely to trigger symptoms---are excellent options.
Tags: less likely, less likely trigger, likely trigger, regular asthma