Top athletes and asthma

[elanaoali]

Here's a question Are top athletes more likely to suffer from asthma because they push themselves to limit. This is the question possed by my husband as Russian hackers have unveiled top athletes medical records on the Internet.? Thoughts?

[Mark_in_Wales_CVA]

It's commonly called 'Exercise Induced Asthma', but more properly called 'Exercise Induced Broncho Restriction'. My daughter has it, we discovered it when she exerts herself, funnily enough at cycling, during periods of exertion she will suddenly lose energy, and within minutes start wheezing, the wheezing can then come-and-go over the next 24-48hrs. Her resting PF shows diurnal fluctuation - the classic asthma diagnosis - yet she doesn't really have asthma symptoms, wheezing/coughing, at any other time than except when exerting herself at exercise. Search Wikipedia for "Exercise Induced Asthma". The medication used by Chris Froome for example has only used his approved Prednisolone (40mg per day for one week) twice in 9 years, once in 2013 and the other in 2014, neither time was during the Tour de France, but during less prestigious races, where results were less glamorous.

[Brenviking]

Apparently those who have a tendency to breathe through their mouths are more likely to develop asthma - I have had sinus problems for years and breathed through my mouth when I went running. I now have asthma and do very little running any more.

[lakelover in reply to Brenviking]

Just a question. Do they develop asthma because they breathe through their mouths or do they breathe through their mouths because they have undiagnosed asthma? I was diagnosed with asthma aged about 59. I was telling my asthma nurse that as a little girl I was always getting told off for breathing through my mouth. She said I probably couldn't help it.

[O-T- in reply to lakelover]

In his book The Oxygen Advantage, Patrick McKeown says it seems likely that asthma, or at least asthma symptoms, can be a consequence of mouth breathing. (he's a Buteyko guy).

[O-T- in reply to O-T-]

I don't think that the mode of breathing adopted during hard exercise counts as much because it is likely to be required by the exertion, but someone who breathes 'dysfunctionally' normally might carry that into their sport too I guess. Someone posted a fascinating pdf link a few days ago on dysfunctional breathing from one of the NHS trust sites - looks like the Buteyko ideas have gained credence.

[elanaoali]

Interesting?! The other question he asked is it because top athlete push their bodies to exstreem that is why they develop asthma?!

[Hidden in reply to elanaoali]

I suspect not to this one, or all top athletes would be asthmatic; you don't get to be at that level of sporting excellence unless you do push yourself to the limit.

It's also worth considering whether the same is true of top ballet dancers, who are at least as fit as most top athletes (and compared to some sport types even more so). I don't think asthma is particularly prevalent in ballet companies, at least no more so than you would find in the general population, though without doing the proper research I can't be sure of that.