How Do I Know If I Have It?
Particularly if exercise is the only trigger for your asthma, EIA may not always be diagnosed. If you experience shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, or chest tightness during or shortly after exercise you may have EIA. These symptoms are not normal reactions to exercise and may be preventable. See your doctor. An "exercise challenge" can be conducted if the diagnosis is unsure. Your lung function can be measured before and after the exercise challenge to see if there is a decline caused by the exercise. Pulmonary specialists, allergists and sports medicine doctors are equipped to administer these tests.

How Is It Managed?

• Since cool, dry air can aggravate EIA, exercising in a warm, humid climate or choosing swimming as an exercise can be helpful. Breathe through the nose as much as possible, since this serves to warm and moisten the inhaled air. Face masks used in cold weather can also help.
• The choice of activity can have a big impact on EIA. Sports requiring brief, high-energy efforts, such as sprinting and baseball, may produce less problems for participants, while sports which include sustained high intensity efforts like distance running and basketball are more likely to provoke EIA. However, with medication pre-treatment (discussed below) almost any athlete can participate in the activity of his or her choosing.
• A careful warm-up period, with a level of exercise below that which produces symptoms, can prevent EIA.
• More than 80% of people with EIA will avoid problems if an airway-dilating medication (beta-agonist) is inhaled shortly before exercise. The inhaled beta-agonists usually last from 4-6 hours and take about 15 minutes to have their full effect. Another inhalation may be required later during extended periods of exercise. These medications have very few side effects, and if the person is non-symptomatic between exercise sessions, this may be the only treatment needed. If the beta-agonist does not provide full relief, then there are other medications which can help, including inhaled cromolyn and inhaled corticosteroids.
• Ask your doctor about a peak flow meter, a simple inexpensive device you can use to self-monitor your lung function.
• Allergies and air pollution can make the lungs more reactive and increase the likelihood of an asthma episode. Consider shortening or eliminating outdoor exercise routines when air pollution or pollen or mold counts are high.
• Keep exercising! While athletic conditioning does not lessen the severity of EIA, it improves exercise efficiency and overall health.
• Remember you're not alone. 67 members of the 597 total members of the US Olympic Team at the 1984 Games had asthma; many of them won medals. Talk to teammates or other fellow exercisers.