Diagnosis of EIB or sports asthma can be confirmed by evaluating your pulmonary function tests or peak flow rates before and after exercise. Usually there will be a fall of these measurements by more than 15% after exertion. The diagnosis can be confirmed by giving you a trial of a bronchodilator medication (e.g. albuterol, Maxair™, Ventolin®, Proventil®, etc.) before exercise in an attempt to prevent or lessen the symptoms of EIB or Sports Asthma.
If you have underlying chronic asthma, you can often optimize your treatment with a combination of medications that include inhaled corticosteroids and long acting bronchodilators which assist in limiting exercise-related asthma symptoms by optimally controlling asthma and raising the threshold to stimuli.