Sports and Kids with Asthma

Understanding the Condition

Exercise-induced asthma (EIA), as the name suggests, may be explained as a type of asthma caused by strenuous exercise or by certain environmental triggers. During an asthma episode, muscles in the lungs around the bronchial tubes contract. It becomes hard for air to pass through the airways, resulting in breathing problems.

Diagnosing children with EIA can be tricky if exercise is the only trigger and they don’t exhibit other symptoms of the illness, since they usually have normal exams when they come to the doctor. Sometimes, children who experience coughing, shortness of breath or wheezing during physical activity are labeled “out of shape” of having poor cardio fitness.

Once a child is diagnosed with EIA, formulating a plan to manage treatment is the first step in ensuring the condition is under control. Devising a written management plan with a primary care physician is important in managing EIA. It is important to share this plan with coaches and teachers, or anyone who will be looking after that child. The plan should include instructions on how to prevent an asthma attack while exercising, what to do when an episode occurs, when to call the doctor and when to go to the hospital.

A doctor may recommend pretreatment for a child with EIA, which means taking medication before exercise or strenuous activity. By taking this medication before exercise, the airway narrowing triggered by exercise can be prevented.

Monitoring Your Child on the Field of Play

An asthma attack can strike quickly and without warning, but parents can help foresee an episode by understanding the triggers. According to the Academy of Pediatrics, symptoms usually begin 5 to 20 minutes after beginning the exercise or activity and will peak about 5 to 10 minutes after stopping, then gradually diminish. Here are the symptoms to look for:

• Difficulty breathing 6 to 8 minutes after you stop exercising.
• Coughing or wheezing when exercising.
• Experiencing a tight feeling in your chest.
• Feeling extremely tired or short of breath after exercising.

Recommendations

Playing sports can be beneficial for every child, including those with EIA. In addition to keeping fit, exercising can improve lung function by strengthening the breathing muscles in the chest. And although all sports can be enjoyed by a child with asthma, certain types of sports with bursts of activity are less likely to cause asthma symptoms. These types of activities, such as tennis, baseball and golf, have activity followed by a brief rest period, which can allow the child to regain control of his breathing, while other sports, like basketball and soccer, may prove to be more challenging for children with EIA.

Tips for Kids with Asthma

• Warm up before exercise to prevent chest tightening.
• Take rescue medication as close to the start of exercise as possible.
• Breathe through the nose during exercise.
• Take brief rests during exercise.
• Cool down after exercise to help slow the change of air temperature in the lungs.
• Avoid exercise if the air’s pollen count is high

Ultimately, a child’s understanding of his /her own symptoms is the most efficient and effective method in preventing an asthma episode. Teaching children to listen to their body and to follow the instructions of their doctor will keep them in the game and off the sidelines.