Exercise induced asthma?

[sdonnelly]

I searched for a thread on this but the thread I found didn't really answer my question. I also Googled exercise induced asthma but I'm a little confused.

I read one website that said that being an athlete with EIA is bad for you, and athletes with this condition seem to die prematurely of cardiovascular diseases/problems. Perhaps I misread this website (hopefully). I am just wondering if this is true? Although certainly, it can not be good to have any sort of undue stress on your body.

Also, if I start running (and/or biking) daily, will this help to improve my lung function/capacity, and thus improve my conditions while playing tennis? Or would I just put even more stress on my body?

 

[Bodacious DVT]

hmm... exercising with EIA will kill you, or you can not exercise and die of a heart attack....

 

[richw76]

My old high schools cross country team was pretty good, and the number 1 runner was number one or two in florida at different points in the year. My freshmen year we won state, and that number one guy and two other guys ALL had asthma. You get 6 runners and 5 can score points, 3 of the 5 had asthma and won state in florida on a 100 degree florida afternoon so I'm sure it doen't help but people can over come most obstacles if they want it enough.

Not sure if they were hurting themselve longterm, but at the time there quality of life seemed good.

I'd say go to your doctor get checked out. If you get the thumbs up work hard cross training helps, and if you get too tired or your asthma kicks in chill out..... says the guy that doesn't have asthma

 

[chess9]

With proper meds, EIA is controllable. Most guys on Advair or similar rarely, if ever, need their rescue inhalers. I found out at age 61 I had asthma. I'm on a corticosteroid that keeps me from having attacks, but I almost died at Ironman Florida from my first serious attack three years ago. Also, I know tons of athletes with asthma who are top guys in their fields. I know quite a few nationally ranked swimmers with asthma. The big problem with the meds is that you can have a paradoxical reaction to them and actually have an exacerbation and pass out. A few folks have died right after taking their Advair. I have had a couple of episodes so I've learned to take my Advair when someone else is around and KNOWS I'm taking it. Turning blue in front of your friends is so uncool!

Don't let a little asthma keep from you doing anything, but ultimately that's between you and your doctors. Follow their advice.

-Robert

 

[sdonnelly]

With proper meds, EIA is controllable. Most guys on Advair or similar rarely, if ever, need their rescue inhalers. I found out at age 61 I had asthma. I'm on a corticosteroid that keeps me from having attacks, but I almost died at Ironman Florida from my first serious attack three years ago. Also, I know tons of athletes with asthma who are top guys in their fields. I know quite a few nationally ranked swimmers with asthma. The big problem with the meds is that you can have a paradoxical reaction to them and actually have an exacerbation and pass out. A few folks have died right after taking their Advair. I have had a couple of episodes so I've learned to take my Advair when someone else is around and KNOWS I'm taking it. Turning blue in front of your friends is so uncool!

Don't let a little asthma keep from you doing anything, but ultimately that's between you and your doctors. Follow their advice.

-Robert

Wow, dieing after taking Advair? The thing is, the doctor prescribed me Advair about 3 years ago and said I could stop taking it once I had felt that most of my symptoms were gone. I stopped taking it really because it caused me to lose so much weight, I was very underweight and not very healthy as a result. I'm actually scheduling a doctor's appointment soon to bring this up.

Robert, thanks for your response, and thanks for the others as well

 

[Bodacious DVT]

A few folks have died right after taking their Advair. I have had a couple of episodes so I've learned to take my Advair when someone else is around and KNOWS I'm taking it.

thats not totally accurate.

i asked my asthma/allergy doctor about that a few months ago when the report came out. what actually happened was an experimental test was being done, where the two powders in advair were administered to people individually. one group would get substance A, another substance B, and another got a placebo.

The group that took substance A was at risk. A few people had advair induced bronchial inflamation. several of these people did not seek medical attention when the symptoms appeared (they were warned about the possibility), and a few of these people died.


after consulting my doctor about that, i was switched over to pulmacort, which only contains substance B. Substance A isn't totally necessary for everyone. ask your doctor if pulmacort is right for you.

 

[MHobbit]

Advair is supposed to reduce airway inflammation and act as a bronchodilator. I used to take it and it always helped. Before that, I used Pulmicort, a "weaker" medication. I've never heard of Advair or Pulmicort causing anything like chess9 is saying, but that's just me, obviously.

I'm a "normal" asthmatic (not exercise-induced), but I've never had problems with my asthma. Somehow, I think exercise throughout the years actually helped me. I compete just as well (maybe even better) than my non-asthmatic counterparts. I don't need to take any medication to control my asthma, but my doctor makes me keep refilling my emergency albuterol inhaler just in case.

 

[chess9]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditions/06/18/health.asthma.reut/index.html

Hey, guys, I'm only reporting what I've read. Ask your PULMONOLOGIST for the right poop. I would not trust a GP with this information. I go to a pulmo twice per year for a full workup, incluing a pulmonary function test. My FEV1, for instance, is 118% of predicted normal with my meds, and the best I've done without meds is 103%. When I was younger, about 49, I think, I had something like 150% of predicted normal, so my lung function has declined for some reason with age or asthma or my bronchitis which I get occasionally. Also, they now believe that people with Alpha (a form of lung disease) are only the tip of the iceberg and that there are many other types of genetic lung diseases that are lumped as COPD.

Oh, and when I take my Advair, I almost always have about 30 minutes of restricted breathing. This is known in the literature and most pulmonologists know it happens to some patients.
-Robert

 

[Bodacious DVT]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditions/06/18/health.asthma.reut/index.html

Hey, guys, I'm only reporting what I've read. Ask your PULMONOLOGIST for the right poop. I would not trust a GP with this information.

i didnt ask my GP about it, i have a seperate pulmonologist that deals with my asthma and allergy problems, and i did ask her about what really happened. The compound SEREVENT is what triggers attacks. SEREVENT is not a substance in pulmicort, which was a factor as to why I switched.

 

[chess9]

i didnt ask my GP about it, i have a seperate pulmonologist that deals with my asthma and allergy problems, and i did ask her about what really happened. The compound SEREVENT is what triggers attacks. SEREVENT is not a substance in pulmicort, which was a factor as to why I switched.

Bodacious:

Thanks for that. I'll follow up on that. I've seen Asmanex for sale, but haven't looked at it yet. Maybe I'll switch if it avoids the restrictions. Advair works great for me though. According to a friend of mine with emphysema, these meds are getting better very quickly, so guys your age will probably have few, if any, limitations in a couple of years. Glad to hear you see a pulmo too. Best of luck.

-Robert