Cold weather sports of the Winter Olympics can increase the symptoms of exercise-induced asthma but there's no need to skip sports, a U.S. allergist says, according to UPI. "Cold temperatures, as well as dry air, can cause excessive dryness in mucus-producing tissue that lines the respiratory passages and result in more symptoms," Dr. Indu Warrier, an allergist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, says in a statement. Symptoms of exercise-induced asthma include coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath because of vigorous physical activity. However, symptoms don't have to interfere with exercise, Warrier says. "No matter the temperature, prevention is the most important way to control exercise-induced asthma," Warrier advises. Prevention can include using an inhaler or taking other prescription medication 15 to 20 minute before exercise. Using asthma maintenance medication as prescribed to get the underlying condition under control also will help control symptoms better, Warrier says.
