Exercise-Induced Asthma

Exercise-induced asthma happens when your airways get smaller during exercise, making it hard for you to breathe. You may have asthma symptoms like coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath during or after physical activity.

Symptoms can be worse when the air is cold and dry, or when pollution levels and pollen counts are high. Exercise-induced asthma is also called exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) or sports-induced asthma.

How common is exercise-induced asthma?

About 40% to 90% of people with asthma have symptoms during or after exercise. But it can happen even without an asthma diagnosis — up to 20% of people in the general population (who may or may not have asthma) have exercise-induced asthma symptoms.