Exercise Induced Asthma Attacks

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease, often arising from allergies, that is characterized by sudden recurring attacks of labored breathing, chest constriction and coughing. There is currently no cure available for asthma, however new discoveries in the medical research field are increasing the medications and techniques used to monitor and treat asthma in patients with the disease.

An asthma patient has particularly sensitive air passages, or airways, resulting in difficult breathing for the patient when these air passages are irritated from an introduced substance or atmospheric change.

Exercise is only one of the common irritants for an asthmatic. Heavy breathing during exercise can result in the narrowing of air passages in asthma patients. This will also cause the classic hyper-reactivity of asthma patients.

Because physicians and researchers are aware that exercise can cause a patient to experience a mild to moderate asthma attack, it is not uncommon for asthma testing specifically in children to be performed in a way that will use exercise to provoke an attack.

Exercise-induced asthma attacks can also provide useful information for researchers. This type of research is useful in judging the effectiveness of new medicines which may be used to treat asthma in the patients.

Other irritants for asthma patients include pet dander, dust, chemicals in the food they eat, air pollutants and dust mites. The fact that these irritants are more widely-prominent now that in the past gives support for evidence showing that asthma is becoming a more common health concern throughout the world than ever before.

It is crucial to note that some sports will have a higher probability of inducing attacks in an asthmatic. The difference may simply be the temperature of the air when a person is breathing at a higher than normal rate. Specifically, a swimmer may experience less of a chance of having an exercise induced asthma attack than a winter-time snow skier.

Because of the dangers of asthma-attacks that result from exercise, it is important for asthmatics and their caregivers to become familiar with the symptoms that indicate an on-coming attack:

Thus, it is recommended that all asthma patients and their caregivers familiarize themselves with the various symptoms and the long-term effects that may result from non-treatment or mistreatment.

Important Symptoms List:

Breathing Changes	Faster than normal breathing and noisy sounds made while breathing are characteristic symptoms of asthma.
Wheezing	Wheezing is the most common symptom associated with asthma. It is characterized by a squeaking or whistling as the affect person exhales.
Coughing	Asthma patients tend to cough primarily at night, when lying down. Recurrent asthmatic coughing may cause sleep interruptions than can lead to additional health problems.

An asthma patient who participated in competitive sports may express concern over steroid testing required for many athletic organizations, especially collegiate and professional levels. However, generally the amount of steroid in standard dosages for asthma patients is not high enough to result in a positive test for steroids in athletics.

Overview... Exercise Induced Asthma

Because of the dangers of asthma-attacks that result from exercise, it is important for asthmatics and their caregivers to become familiar with the symptoms that indicate an on-coming attack.
An asthma patient has particularly sensitive air passages, or airways, resulting in difficult breathing for the patient when these air passages are irritated from an introduced substance or atmospheric change.
Among both children and adults, asthma is one of the most common chronic illnesses in countries including the United States and much of Europe. Because asthma is considered a chronic illness, treatment regimens for patients must be followed accordingly in order to reduce the affects and ongoing health problems that can result from mismanagement of the condition.
Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease, often arising from allergies, that is characterized by sudden recurring attacks of labored breathing, chest constriction and coughing. There is currently no cure available for asthma, however new discoveries in the medical research field are increasing the medications and techniques used to monitor and treat asthma in patients with the disease.

Asthma Guide

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