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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Monday, May 12, 2008
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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Monday, May 12, 2008
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EIB is a disorder that causes breathing problems during or after exercise. The exact cause of EIB is unknown, but there are several current theories. One theory is that fast breathing during exercise causes the air tubes (airways) to cool down and dry out. People with EIB have very sensitive air tubes, and the sudden change in air temperature and moisture causes the air tubes to tighten (bronchoconstriction) and get smaller. Small air tubes make breathing harder. There is also the theory that EIB is caused by excessive inflammation (swelling) in the air tubes with exercise, much like people with persistent asthma.
About 80% of people with asthma will have EIB. About 5%-10% of the general population without asthma will have EIB. Athletes have a much higher rate of EIB. In studies of Olympic and other elite athletes, EIB occurred 20%-50% of the time in athletes without asthma. Many of these athletes did not even know they had EIB. People with allergies, sinus problems, or a family history of allergies are more at risk for EIB.
Breathing symptoms can be mild or severe and start during or right after exercise. The most common symptoms are:
A health care provider will ask about your breathing, do a physical exam, and order lung function tests. A Eucapnic Voluntary Hyperventilation (EVH) test is used to diagnose EIB. It is performed by breathing a mixture of dry air (oxygen/carbon dioxide) very fast into a breathing machine that measures the air going into and out of the lungs. General lung function is measured for several minutes after the test to see if there is any change. If someone has EIB, their lung function will drop for a short time during or after the test.
EIB can be treated with a "pre-treatment." A "pre-treatment" medicine is breathed into the lungs 15 minutes before exercise. The medicine quickly opens the air tubes and keeps them open for 4 to 6 hours. The most common "pre-treatment" medicines include: Proventil®, Ventolin® (albuterol), or Maxair® (pirbuterol). Using a pre-treatment medicine usually prevents EIB. If pre-treatment medicine does not work or if breathing problems get worse, there are other medicines that can be used.
A brief warm-up (break a sweat) for 5-10 minutes before exercise can help prevent EIB. You should rest for 5 minutes after the warm-up.
If the air is cool and dry:
If air pollution (ozone alert) or pollen counts are high:
EIB should not prevent you from reaching your exercise goals. You can do any activity with the proper training and medicine.
Many elite athletes have excelled with proper treatment of their asthma/EIB:
This article is a NetWellness exclusive. 
Last Reviewed: Dec 13, 2006
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Cathy Benninger, APRN, C-AE Program Coordinator, Asthma Clinic Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine Department of Internal Medicine College of Medicine The Ohio State University |
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