Exercising can exacerbate asthma. Symptoms may comprise coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath or a feeling of chest tightness during or after exercise. Some children are not conscious of these symptoms, but identify that they exhaust easily and cannot exercise to the degree that their friends do.
In the majority of children with asthma, protracted exercise (at least five minutes) almost always causes asthma symptoms. In spite of this, children with asthma should be encouraged to exercise. Research shows that they can benefit from exercise physically, and in terms of self-esteem and self-belief. Children with asthma can benefit from doing sports like swimming, soccer, bowling, basketball, rollerblading and bike riding, to name a few. It is important to note that even some olympic athletes have asthma.
Recommended actions- If exercising exacerbates your child’s asthma, consult your doctor. Your child may need extra inhaler medication, which prevents exercise-induced asthma. Short acting B agonist, when taken 10 to 15 minutes before exercise, is effective in preventing asthma symptoms. Older children may depend on using a pre-treatment before exercise.
- Patients with exercise-induced asthma need to learn to decide when they are having asthma symptoms during or after exercise. If coughing or wheezing begins, the child should take a short rest and follow their asthma action plan.
- The patient should warm-up before exercise.
- It is vital that children become skilled at pacing themselves.
