The impact of exercise on asthma.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in children and adults in developed countries around the world. Despite international treatment guidelines, poor asthma control remains a frequent problem leading to missed school and work, and emergency room visits and hospitalizations. Many patients with asthma report exercise as a trigger for their asthma, which likely leads to exercise avoidance as a means to control symptoms. Evolving research has suggested that routine exercise may actually help improve some aspects of asthma control. This review discusses the recent research addressing how routine exercise affects important asthma-related outcomes including symptoms, lung function and quality of life.

RECENT FINDINGS: Several systematic reviews and meta-analyses have been conducted in recent years, which strongly support the safety of routine exercise in children and adults with asthma. Exercise appears to favor improvements in aerobic fitness, asthma symptoms and quality of life, but results so far are less consistent in demonstrating improvements to lung function and airway hyperresponsiveness.

SUMMARY: In addition to routine management guidelines, clinicians should recommend for their patients with asthma routine exercise for its general health benefits and likely improvement in asthma symptoms and quality of life.