As JoAnna was out for a run one fall morning, she suddenly began coughing, wheezing and experiencing a tightness in her chest. She quickly headed for home and called her doctor. After meeting with her doctor, who performed some tests, JoAnna found that she is among the 11 percent of Americans with exercise-induced asthma (EIA).

What is Exercise-Induced Asthma?
Patients with EIA have airways that are overly sensitive to sudden changes in temperature and humidity, especially when breathing colder, drier air. During strenuous activity, people tend to breathe through their mouths, allowing the cold, dry air to reach the lower airways without passing through the nose, a natural warmer and humidifier.

It's very important to recognize the difference between poor physical condition and EIA, so be sure to check with your doctor. People with EIA typically experience trouble breathing within the first 5-20 minutes of exertion; some have problems occur after stopping exercise. Symptoms may include:

• Wheezing;
• Chest tightness;
• Coughing;
• Chest pain, and;
• Prolonged shortness of breath, beginning 5-10 minutes after brief exercise.

How is it diagnosed?
To confirm an EIA diagnosis, a physician will obtain a patient history, perform a breathing test to check for chronic asthma and may perform a breathing test after exercise, called an "exercise challenge."

An exercise challenge involves physical activity such as jogging or walking on a treadmill or riding an exercise bicycle. At intervals throughout and up to 30 minutes after the challenge, you will breathe into a machine that measures your ability to breathe out. Using this information, your doctor will be able to tell you if you have EIA.

How is EIA treated?
EIA can be easily and effectively treated through the use of a prescribed "pre-treatment." Usually administered in the form of a short-acting inhaled medication, the medicine is rapid acting, and lasts up to four to six hours. Regardless of the medicines you use, it's important to talk to your physician about using daily medication that treats the underlying asthma, and to use good technique with your inhaled medicines.

In addition to medication, warm-up and cool-down periods before and after exercise may alleviate the chest tightness that can occur after exertion. It's also a good idea to restrict exercise during cold weather, when you have a viral infection or, if you're allergic, when pollen and air pollution levels are high.

What can I participate in?
With proper medication and treatment, people with EIA can participate in any sport, though some activities are considered better for those with EIA. Sports with intermittent periods of activity are less likely to cause asthma symptoms, as they allow you to regain control of your breathing. Activities including baseball, softball, volleyball, tennis, golf and some track and field events all have intermittent rest periods.

Swimming is a good option for those with EIA, as the air near the surface of the water is warm and humid, it's available year-round at gyms and the horizontal position of the swimmer may help mobilize mucus from the bottom of the lungs. Walking, leisure biking and hiking are also activities less likely to trigger EIA.

Having EIA does not mean that you must be inactive. In fact, at least one in six athletes representing the US in the 1996 Olympic games had a history of asthma! Nearly 30 percent of the 1996 Olympians with asthma or who took asthma medications won individual or team medals in their Olympic competition.

More Featured Articles»