Help for Heat-Induced Asthma

Heat-induced asthma is also called exercise-induced asthma because the heating up of the lungs during exercise brings on asthma symptoms. When your lungs heat up and cool down quickly due to the rapid breathing you experience during exercise, it can cause your airways to become inflamed and your breathing to become labored. According to medterms.com, about 80 percent to 90 percent of people with chronic asthma also have heat-induced asthma; however, other people can also experience this type of asthma when they exercise, even if they do not normally have asthma symptoms.

Preventing Symptoms

• You can take some asthma medications before you work out in order to prevent an asthma attack from occurring. For example, your doctor may prescribe a short-acting inhaled bronchodilator, such as albuterol. Take this 15 minutes before you exercise and it can last for approximately four hours. Medications called mast cell stabilizers also work in this manner.
  For longer relief from asthma symptoms, take a long-acting beta-2 analyst or a leukotriene modifier. These medications can be taken before a workout and will last 12 to 24 hours.

Daily Doses

• If your heat-induced asthma symptoms occur every day, or if you experience wheezing every time you exert yourself, your doctor may recommend that you take a daily asthma medication to control your symptoms. You may find relief from the use of a corticosteroid inhaler, which will reduce inflammation in your airways. This will also benefit you if you have severe allergy symptoms that interfere with your breathing.