How Many Paris Olympic Athletes Have Asthma?

 

Is anyone excited to watch the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics?

I'll be tuned in to watch the athletes - and hope to catch lots of views of my favorite city! 

I've been watching the Olympic Trials and wonder if those athletes are super human.

The Olympics Motto is:

"Faster, Higher, Stronger"

Those athletes seem super human - but they're not. 

Olympic Athletes with Asthma  

Did you know that asthma is the most common chronic condition among elite Olympic athletes?

Did you know that 16.5% of Olympic athletes have asthma? 

That's double the rates for the average American (8.3% of adults have asthma).

Some researchers say that rates of elite athletes with asthma is as high as 55%! 

All sports are different, but endurance sports seem to have the highest number of athletes with asthma  (biathlon and cross country skiers, rowing, swimming, and cycling.)

The Olympic athletes can also have other conditions, like rhinitis (runny nose, congestion, sneezing and itching) and allergies. Add that to asthma, and it could affect their performance.

The Olympic athletes are also packed into the Olympic village, which means they are in close contact with all of the other athletes and any illness can spread like wildfire through the village. 

Respiratory illnesses are always worse for those of us with asthma. If an athlete is infected with the flu, pneumonia, bronchitis, or COVID, they can get a lot sicker than the athletes without cranky lungs. 

Can you imagine training for your sport for years, only to get sick at the Olympics and have to drop out? 

Olympic Athletes Developing Asthma  

 I just learned that training at high intensity for endurance sports has actually caused Olympic athletes to develop asthma.

That's right. 

Olympic athletes who didn't have asthma when they started training, later developed it because of the high intensity training affecting their lungs. 

Strange, but true. 

I'll be tuning in for the opening ceremonies and will be watching the Olympics. I am curious to see if I can spot any athletes using their inhalers. 

And I guess if they can exercise and compete at that level, I can at least take a walk around the block....