Deepak Khurana, director, cardiothoracic and vascular surgery at Rockland group of hospitals, said, "However, as it's not easy for an asthmatic to undertake physical activities, the success rate of cardio-workouts depends on the exercise tolerance in asthmatic patients which is related to the patient's lung function capacity. Patients who are diagnosed early or at a young age benefit more as they have improved lung function, reduced respiratory symptoms, and the threshold of exercise at which patient feels breathless is increased. At a later stage patients are usually out of shape, they have less muscle mass and also asthma usually has had progressed to a higher stage requiring large number and increased doses of medications. Patients should be counseled before suggesting exercises. They should be told to gradually increase the level and not instantly start with heavy activities."

Brijesh Paul of Kolkata-based Downtown Hospital said, "It was important for asthma patients to keep inhalers in easy reach prior to starting their workouts. The more the patient works out, the better exercise-induced asthma gets. Patients may start with lower-intensity activities like swimming, walking, and so forth and work their way up over time."

Source: Medindia