ARTICLES
Is Exercise Induced Asthma A Different Form
Of Asthma?
Occasionally asthma attack happen only during,
or shortly after, exercise.
Initially, doctors thought this was a different form of
asthma, an entirely different form, but it is now known that
it is common for people with asthma to have asthma attacks
during exercise.
These people do have asthma that is triggered by the exercising,
however the asthma is not caused by exercising.
In other words, the asthma existed in the person BEFORE
the exercise, however it is a mild case of asthma, which
is brought out by the heavier, faster breathing brought on
by exercise.
Doctors used to puzzle about why children got exercise-induced
asthma much more than adults.
Research into this revealed the simple truth that the majority
of adults don't exercise or play as children do.
Increased breathing during exercise causes cooling and drying
of the lining of the air passages, which can trigger exercise-induced
asthma.
This explains why warm moist air protects against exercise-induced
asthma and why swimming is better exercise for an asthmatic
than running, or biking.
Exercise-induced asthma can be useful for asthma research
and diagnosing asthma in children.
It can be used for testing the effectiveness of new medicines
that may help treat asthma in the future.
With exercise of six minutes a child is often breathing
hard enough and fast enough to bring on a “mild” asthma. “This
is very safe” and this has brought on early and appropriate
advice and treatment for many asthmatics.
It can cause athletes a particular problem which is why
some cross-country skiers wear breathing masks which store
some body heat and moisture from the air they breathe out
and return it to the air they breathe in.
Swimmers are fortunate in that, especially with indoor pools,
the air surrounding them is moist and warm.
However it is also common that asthmatic professional athletes
must be careful with their medications as it may lead to
disqualification.
However, all the ordinary asthma medicines and treatments,
used for management, are acceptable to sporting bodies. |
