Exercise-Induced Asthma

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airway that impacts a person’s and their family’s quality of life. In people with asthma, their airway becomes constricted with swelling and excessive mucous. This constriction or narrowing of the airway makes it difficult for the person with asthma to breath (Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 2009). If asthma is left uncontrolled, it leads to further wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, tiredness, and stress. (Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 2009).

Asthma is the leading cause of chronic illness in children and is responsible for nearly 10% of the Emergency Room visits for children <15 year of age. It occurs in as many as 10%-12% of children in the United States and is gradually growing. Asthma can begin at any age , but most children have their first symptoms by age five. Because Camp Wapiti is for children ages 8-13 exclusively, this report will focus primarily on childhood asthma.

Asthma is a long-term lung disease. Those with asthma have sensitive airways in their lungs which triggers a flare up. When this flare up happens the muscle around the airways squeeze tight and the airways swell, become narrows and produce more mucus. (Anon., 2016) All these things make it harder for a person to breathe. Asthma effects the human body’s respiratory system. Asthma causes a spasm and constriction of the bronchial passages and the swelling and the inflammation of the mucous lining. The body responds by defence cells from the immune system, which causes the airways to swell and the muscles surrounding the airways to contract. Which is what cuts off the airflow. While a person is in asthma attack, the asthmatic cannot breathe which

Asthma is a very common circumstance where the airways happen to irritated and inflamed, this causes the airway to become more narrower than normal and

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The immune system can be affected by overtraining. The increased training load can place increased physical stress on the body, which can cause the body to become defenseless against infections. Hackney and Koltun (2012) mentioned that it is believed that tissue trauma from excessive exercise can produce an abundance of pro-inflammatory cytokines which can lead to a sickness response. Impaired pro-inflammatory cytokines includes interleukin 1 beta (IL-1b), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a). The production of pro-inflammatory cytokines also leads to an up-regulation of humoral immunity and suppression of the immune responses. The development of cell-mediated immuno-suppression increases the risk of upper respiratory infection (URI). URI causes illness-like symptoms and compromises physical performance, and is mainly seen in marathon runners (Hackney & Koltun, 2012).

According to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI), one out of ten children have asthma in the United States (2016). “Asthma is the leading chronic disease in children, it is also the top reason for missed school days.” (AAFA, 2016, para 3). Asthma is described as the inflammation of the bronchi in the lungs. The narrowing of the bronchi makes it difficult to breath, due to the inflammation; a wheezing sound might be heard during an acute asthma attack. Bronchi are small branches in the lungs that helps deliver air or oxygen into the lungs when inhaled, and helps remove carbon dioxide out of the body during expiration. Learning the anatomy of the lungs will be beneficial in learning how asthma affects the body. When a person breaths, the air goes through the nasal cavity, to the pharynx and larynx, then to the trachea and into the lungs, where the bronchi, bronchioles and alveoli are located.

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Asthma is a chronic lung disease that affects the airways, which is comprised of tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs. People who experience difficulties breathing have inflamed airways. The inflammation causes the tubes to swell and become sensitive, especially when inhaling strong substances. As a result, the airways tighten and the muscles around the tubes become swollen and narrower. In addition, cells in the airways might produce more mucus. This sticky and thick mucus makes it even more difficult for air to pass into the lungs.

Breathing is a vital process for every human. Normal breathing is practically effortless for most people, but those with asthma face a great challenge. During an asthma attack, breathing is hampered, making it difficult or even impossible for air to flow through the lungs. Asthma is an increasingly common problem, and has become the most common chronic childhood disease. At least 17 million Americans suffer from it(1), and although it can be fatal, it is usually not that severe(4). There is no cure for asthma, but with proper care, it can usually be controlled.

As a young boy growing up, I like many sports, but soccer was my all-time favorite. I loved soccer because I was also good at playing the sport as well as analyzing games. I never had a problem staying glued to my couch watching a soccer game all day. I always relished the prospect of waking up to a soccer game on a Saturday morning. It was such a delight. Being an avid soccer lover, it is no surprise that I had dreams of playing professionally. I wanted to be like Zinedine Zidane because he was my favorite soccer player at the time.

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, most of my childhood I felt very healthy. However around the age of 10 my pediatrician diagnosed me with Athletic Asthma. It is a specific type of Asthma that only occurs when engaging in strenuous activity or having an increased breathing rate. In 2009 I decided to move to Fresno, while I knew other people in the bay area who suffered from Asthma it shocked me to learn how prevalent it was in central California, particularly in Fresno. Quite often people in Fresno will make reference how terrible the air is in a given day. Residents of the central valley are constantly reminded about our air quality with programs such as Check Before You Burn, a local government solution to help control the

Asthma is an inflammatory condition of the airways causing attacks of wheezing and breathlessness. It affects a person’s

Asthma is a chronic lung disease characterized by episodes in which the bronchioles constrict due to oversensitivity. In asthma, the airways (bronchioles) constrict making it difficult to get air in or out of the lungs. Breathlessness is the main symptom. The bronchi and bronchioles become inflamed and constricted. Asthmatics usually react to triggers. Triggers are substances and situations that would not normally trouble an asthma free person. Asthma is either extrinsic or intrinsic. Extrinsic is when the inflammation in the airway is a result of hypersensitivity reactions associated with allergy (food or pollen). Intrinsic asthma is linked to hyper responsive reactions to other forms of

The pathophysiology of Asthma includes inflammation of the airway. The way in which this works is from an irritant which can include dust, pollen, cedar, or cat hair. When a reaction occurs, the airways become inflamed and narrow. The narrowing occurs because once the inflammatory response is triggered by an irritant, histamines, immunoglobulin E antibodies, and leukotrienes are released. Because of this, mucous production occurs. Since the bronchioles are inflamed and narrow, breathing becomes difficult. Wheezing sounds can be heard due to the lack of air being able to easily move in and out of the narrowed bronchioles.

Childhood obesity is a serious health and social issue in the state of Alabama. Because this health issue is rising at life-threatening rates, one may even call it an epidemic. Childhood obesity increases mortality, causes asthma and type II diabetes. With these effects, at hand the childhood obesity epidemic should not be taken without concern. Children cannot reach their full potential, if they are in the grasp of such a deadly disease.