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Exercise-Induced Asthma

Diagnosis, Prophylaxis and Treatment

  • Disease Management
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Summary

Sport can improve the quality of life of asthmatic children. However, athletic activity and even games are frequently disturbed by dyspnoeic events called exercise-induced asthma (EIA). The intensity and the type of the exercise that provokes EIA vary from one patient to another. The maximal intensity of these attacks occurs between 5 and 15 minutes after the end of the exercise. In some asthmatic children, there seems to be a late phase response. In 40 to 50% of asthmatics, EIA is followed by a refractory period that lasts 2 to 4 hours.

EIA is detected by exercise challenge testing. There are several types of tests involving different equipment: free running, treadmill or cycle ergometer. The conditions under which these tests are performed must be rigorously controlled.

Prevention of EIA must be adapted to the intensity and the frequency of EIA. Prevention may be nonpharmacological, pharmacological or both. Cromones and β2-agonists are the drugs of choice in the prevention of EIA. Sport training in specialised centres is sometimes necessary, especially for patients with severe asthma. The purpose of this training is to decrease exercise-induced hyperventilation for a given level of work. The resulting improved tolerance to effort will increase the threshold of appearance of EIA.

The choice of sport for an asthmatic child depends upon local possibilities, the child’s tastes, the intensity of his/her EIA and the potential of the sport to induce asthma. Thus, asthmatic children and adolescents can and should practice sports.

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  1. Laboratoire d’Exploration Fonctionnelle Respiratoire, Service de Pneumologie and Allergologie Pédiatriques, Hôpital des Enfants Malades, Paris, France

    Patrick Rufin, Pierre Scheinmann &  Jacques de Blic

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Rufin, P., Scheinmann, P. & de Blic, J. Exercise-Induced Asthma. BioDrugs 8, 6–15 (1997). https://doi.org/10.2165/00063030-199708010-00002

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