Enhancement of Exercise-Induced Asthma by Cold Air

Abstract

To study the possibility that the inhalation of cold air accentuates the bronchoconstrictor response to exercise in asthma, eight subjects exercised while breathing air at ambient or subfreezing temperatures. On a separate day, cold air was breathed at rest so as to isolate the effects of this stimulus. Pulmonary mechanics were measured before and after each experiment. In all subjects acute bronchoconstriction followed the control exercise challenge. With cold-air breathing, however, the magnitude of the response was markedly enhanced. Residual volume increased 158 per cent more than it did previously, and specific conductance and one-second forced expiratory volumes changed an additional 85 and 100 per cent, respectively. The effects of cold air at rest were very small. The results demonstrate a positive interaction of two common naturally occurring stimuli in the induction of asthmatic attacks, and constitute objective verification of a frequent clinical complaint.

Exercise-induced airway narrowing in army recruits with a history of childhood asthma

“…However, in those subjects demonstrating an abnormal response to exercise, the mean %FI was significantly greater when breathing cold air. This latter finding is in agreement with previous studies [3,9]. The difference between mean %FI when breathing cold or room air was smaller than that reported by STRAUSS et al [3].…”

“…The asthmatic response to exercise is augmented by breathing cold, dry air [3,4]. The aim of this study was to determine whether breathing cold, dry, inspired air during MHR exercise increased the number of subjects demonstrating abnormal airway narrowing when applied to symptom-free recruits with a history of asthma in childhood.…”

Surfactant function affected by airway inflammation and cooling: possible impact on exercise-induced asthma

“…A diminishing width of the airways may be caused by hyperaemia and oedema developing in the airway wall. The blocking of airways due to surfactant dysfunction may be the reason for residual volume to increase 43% in patients with asthma just after they have exercised [26].…”

Cold Air Challenge of Airway Hyperreactivity in Children: Practical Application and Theoretical Aspects

“…The mechanism by which exercise causes bronchoconstriction was closely linked to the effect of airway cooling, produced by an increased heat exchange during voluntary hyperventilation with subfreezing air (39,40,(13)(14)(15)(16). Although the final pathways for exercise and CACh are not fully understood, reliable separation of adult patients with asthma from healthy controls was possible by CACh (17).…”