What the vast majority of the population has is not exercise-induced asthma, but asthma that is poorly controlled and therefore is triggered by an activity. Exercise is a trigger for 90 percent of people with this form of asthma, and they will probably not get through the activity without having symptoms or signs of respiratory problems. So, the child who has to come off the soccer field after playing 10 minutes because he or she is wheezing doesn't have exercise-induced asthma. That's asthma that was triggered by activity.
What causes exercise-induced asthma?
What experts theorize that, when you're exercising, you're basically cooling and drying the airways, which leads to restricted air flow. Some 45 percent of athletes in the 1996 Summer Olympics said they had asthma. Now that number is way too high for it to be caused by chronic asthma. That would infer that asthmatics are better athletes than non-asthmatics. So if you're talking about exercise-induced asthma, you're probably talking about a very competitive athlete who can train at extremely high levels.
Why is it important to distinguish between the two?
That's actually a huge issue because many physicians as well as family members don't appreciate the difference. So they're saying, "Oh, my kid just has exercise-induced asthma. And therefore all I need to do is use a rescue medication before he or she plays and they'll be fine." Where the truth is, what they may have is mild or moderate asthma that's being triggered every time they play, and they need long-term, preventative treatment.
