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As a child, before I was out-of-shape, I was diagnosed with "exercised-induced asthma." Is that a lifelong diagnosis? Or do youngsters tend to grow out of it?

I continue to take my Albuterol inhaler and daily puffs from my Advair as the "exercised-induced asthma" diagnosis has carried over into my adulthood. This is because I continue to get a tight-chest and consistent wheezing/coughing during and after any period of exercise. But... are these caused by "exercised-induced asthma" or could it be that I'm simply out of shape (admittingly, I could lose 15 pounds)? Or could it be a combo?

How do you know if you have exercise-induced asthma for sure?

Do pulmonologists consider exercise-induced or "seasonal" asthma a legitimate diagnosis?

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It is probably a combo, as you say you are out of shape. I had that kind of asthma, too. However, I started doing sports and more and more the asthma kind of disappeared. If you do something to improve your fitness and get in shape again - what I suggest to do - always have your inhaler with you! Focus on aerobic and stamina. That way my asthma got away. (The lungs get more air, the bronchia get wider, you can breathe freely) Today, I only get problems breathing when I am really sick, and even then (when I can't breathe through my nose) it does not necessaryly occur. If you have some concerns about wheter you really should start exercising or your asthma gets worse because of it, you have to visit the doctor and ask for an individual check.

I would start exercising and doing something for my stamina. You need to keep doing it regularly to achieve some results. Sometime you will get to the point that you are able to really train hard without having any serious problems anymore.

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    thanks for this answer. Just curious about the other questions Pills N Pillows asked. So is exercised asthma something you think you can grow out of if diagnosed as a child? Are you saying that exercised-induced asthma may not be a legitimate diagnosis since you were able to reverse some of the symptoms via exercise? Would the same be true for seasonal asthma?
    – Butterfly and Bones
    Commented Oct 19, 2016 at 20:16
  • I don't know wheter it is a legitimate diagnosis among doctors, but you definetely can grow out of it - was the same in my case. Due to that, I am convinced that avoiding exercise would be a mistake and will definetely not help against that asthma. Even the seasonal asthma, which I had/have as well, got away. I used to have problems with breathing in spring for example, because I am allergic to some pollen. Today, it is just my nose and eyes that might itch - but I don't have the asthma anymore (it still occurs sometimes, but only if it hits me really bad). So yes, you can grow out of it, too.
    – user6799
    Commented Oct 20, 2016 at 4:22
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Sounds like it is probably a combination of both issues.

For now, focus on working slowly into building endurance and stamina - thus also getting into shape. Also, clear exercising with your doctor, along those lines, he or she may have some advice for you on what exercises to do.

As stated by The Mayo Clinic, exercise is not; however, the root cause of your asthma. This means that although there is an ICD-10 code for the condition of exercise induced bronchospasm and therefore pulmonologists will recognize it to some extent. However, my guess is that a pulmonologist will attempt to treat you for the root cause of your asthma, i.e. allergies.

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