Asthma and Exercise What is exercise-induced asthma? Most people
diagnosed with asthma will experience asthma symptoms when
exercising. In addition, some who are not diagnosed with asthma
will experience asthma symptoms, but only during exercise. This
is a condition called exercise-induced asthma. Long-distance
running may aggravate exercise-induced asthma. Exercise-induced
asthma is different from the typical asthma that is triggered by
allergens and/or irritants. Some people have both types of
asthma, while others only experience exercise-induced asthma.
Asthma is a chronic, inflammatory lung disease that leads to
three airway problems: obstruction, inflammation, and hyper-
responsiveness. Unfortunately, the basic cause of asthma is
still not known. How does exercise cause asthma symptoms? When
breathing normally, the air that enters the airways is first
warmed and moistened by the nasal passages to prevent injury to
the delicate lining of the airways. However, for someone with
asthma, the airways may be ext