Exercise Asthma May Be Linked to Less Sweat

People who suffer from a form of asthma caused by exercise appear to produce less sweat, saliva and tears than people without the problem, researchers say. The findings may shed light on a condition known as exercise-induced asthma, which occurs in some people when they exert themselves in cold air.

Writing in the September issue of Chest, the researchers, led by Dr. Warren Lockette of the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, noted that the low levels of moisture found in cold air appeared to play a role in exercise-induced asthma. As the airways dry out, they become inflamed. Lockette said the condition was fairly common among top athletes.

The researchers examined U.S. marines who came to the naval center because they appeared to have the problem. The researchers measured their levels of sweat, saliva and tears, and found lower levels in those volunteers with exercise-induced asthma. It may be, the researchers said, that the same body mechanism that leads people to produce less sweat and other fluids leads to their having drier airways.