Exercise-Induced Asthma

Learn from Pediatric Pulmonologist Dr. Cadence Kuklinski what exercise-induced asthma is and how it is treated.




What is exercise-induced asthma?

I typically see a couple of kids every week who are coming in to be evaluated for exercise-induced asthma. Those patients quite frequently tend to only have symptoms when they are exercising. We treat that slightly differently than we do other types of asthma. It’s less responsive to the type of controller medicines we use to help prevent symptoms in kids who are more triggered by viruses or pollens. It’s a very real type of asthma, and we do treat that in our clinic.

How do you treat this particular disorder?

Exercise-induced asthma responds most to albuterol so just short-acting medicines that you take right before you would be doing practice or a game and then sometimes during also if you’re having recurrent symptoms. People with exercise-induced asthma are not usually on control or medications.

What is albuterol, and how does it help?

Albuterol is a bronchodilator, so it helps relax the tiny muscles in your airways. Instead of clamping down your airways, it helps open them up so you’re breathing through a much bigger “straw” and makes it much easier to breathe.