Cardiopulmonary exercise testing in children and adolescents with asthma who report symptoms of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction

Patients with asthma often report symptoms of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. We performed cardiopulmonary exercise testing to establish the cause of exercise limitation in patients with asthma, under treatment, who reported symptoms of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. Ten of the 42 patients meeting criteria for inclusion in our study (24%) developed exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. Exercise limitation without exercise-induced bronchoconstriction was found in both obese and non-obese patients, suggesting that poor fitness is a problem independent of body habitus. Including cardiopulmonary exercise testing in the management of children with suspected exercise-induced bronchoconstriction would provide a better understanding of the etiology of their symptoms and facilitate more appropriate treatment.