 |
NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
|
|
|
NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
|
Asthma |
Allergies or asthma?10/03/2008 03:57PM |
Whenever I jog outside, I have difficulty breathing and develop a lot of mucus. How can I tell whether my symptoms are of allergies or asthma? What is the distinction between the two problems? How can this be treated, so I can continue jogging?
It is possible that both conditions are contributing to your symptoms. These symptoms can be related to exercising regardless of whether you are allergic or non-allergic. If the symptoms only occur outdoors and not when you exercise indoors then it is likely not related to exercise per say but rather to environmental exposures. Another caveat is whether it only occurs when you are exercising outdoors in cold weather; then one would have to consider cold-induced asthma. Without have more details about your condition here are some likely scenarios. If you are allergic and are exercising outdoors when pollen or mold counts are high, then this could certainly cause the symptoms you are experiencing. It is also possible that your symptoms could be caused by exercising on days with poor air quality due to air pollution caused by ozone or are running along streets with high stop and go traffic resulting in exposure to particulate matter. In order to get a better handle on what is going on, you need to see an allergist who can perform proper allergy skin tests to determine your allergic status which will identify potential outdoor triggers that could be causing these symptoms. He/She should also be able to perform proper pulmonary function tests to determine if you have asthma exacerbated by exercise or if you have a different condition referred to as exercise induced bronchospasm. Depending on the diagnosis, will determine the most appropriate treatment which should allow you to continue to keep doing what you enjoy most which appears to be jogging outdoors.
|
Jonathan Bernstein, MD Professor of Medicine Division of Immunology and Allergy Department of Internal Medicine College of Medicine University of Cincinnati |
|
|
|
Please note: only your personal physician or other health professional you consult can best advise you on matters of your health based on your medical history, your family medical history, your medication history, and how information from any of these databases may apply to you. Neither University of Cincinnati (NetWellness) nor any party involved in creating, producing or delivering this web site shall be liable for any damages arising out of access to or use of this web site, or any errors or omissions in the content thereof. (More) |