Young People and Exercise-Induced Asthma

ABSTRACT

In many developed and developing countries, asthma is thought to be the most common chronic illness in childhood and it appears to be increasing in prevalence. Bronchial hyper-responsiveness [breathlessness, fatigue, chest pain, etc] to various stimuli, including exercise, is the most specific sign of asthma. Typically exercise-induced asthma [EIA] consists of coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, chest pain or any combination of these symptoms during exercise, or more so, about eight to 15 minutes after exercise. The symptoms of EIA are usually resolved between 30 and 90 minutes. A proper warm-up before strenuous physical activity and a warm-down following exercise appear to offer some protection from EIA. Prevention is the main objective in managing EIA. Some of these precautions can include [i] an appropriate warm up before vigorous exercise and a gradual warm down after the exercise; [ii] covering the nose and mouth with a mask or a scarf whilst exercising in cool environments; [iii] exercising only in warm and humidified environments; and [iv] improving the baseline fitness of young people who have asthma. The physical fitness and exercise performance of young people with asthma appear to be inferior to those of young people without asthma, but this could be due to their diminished levels of physical activity and unnecessary avoidance of exercise because of the disease. Young people with asthma can benefit from exercise programmes that help raise their levels of physical fitness, especially aerobic fitness. With the proper use of prescribed medication and effective asthma management, young people with asthma are capable of high levels of performance, and need not forego the health benefits that can be harvested with a regime of life-long exercise