Sweaty? Good! Maybe you don’t have asthma

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Vigorous activity leads to sweat. It can also lead to exercise-induced asthma. There may be more to that connection -- or, in some cases, the lack of connection -- than we thought.

Researchers at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego have found that athletes with this particular form of asthma create less sweat, tears and saliva than those without breathing problems.

They gathered 56 people suspected of having exercise-induced asthma and proceeded to test their airflow and sweat secretion. Using the chemicals methacholine, which can cause airways to constrict, and pilocarpine, which can cause sweating, the researchers found that those who had the most reactive airways tended to sweat the least. Those who sweated more were generally less responsive to methacholine.

Some folks had saliva and tear production tested as well, but the main tests were on airflow and sweating.

The study, published in the journal Chest, doesn’t suggest there’s a cause and effect. A hampered ability to secrete bodily fluids does not lead to exercise-induced asthma. Or vice versa. Rather, the researchers suspect that the biological mechanism that determines sweat volume is the same one that controls the volume of water in the airways. Someone with drier skin after a hearty workout might also have drier airways.

‘It now appears that how much fluid your airways secrete could be a key determinant in protecting you from exercise-induced asthma,’ said study author Dr. Warren Lockette in a news release.

One way to compensate for the tendency to suffer from exercise-induced asthma might be to strictly control air quality during workouts, and to pay special attention to hydration, he suggests.

For more on exercise-induced asthma, check out this article from emedicinehealth.com, these consumer tips from the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology, and this story, Therapy in action, from the Los Angeles Times.

-- Tami Dennis