The chronic disease that's surprisingly common among most Olympic athletes

The Olympic Games spotlight the world’s most breathtaking athletic achievements - quite literally. For those taking part in Paris 2024, a majority are likely to suffer in some way from the same chronic condition. 

Between 15 and 20 per cent of Olympic athletes have asthma, according to a 2023 study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. 

The same study states that up to 80 per cent of endurance sport athletes are affected by exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB), otherwise known as exercise-induced asthma.

Asthma is a chronic lung disease that causes inflammation and narrowing of the small airways. 

Symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, and a tightness in the chest that can trigger a potentially life-threatening asthma attack when extreme. 

In 2019, there were 455,000 deaths linked to the condition worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). 

Inhalers are prescribed as a treatment in two forms: preventer inhalers (brown coloured), which are used daily, and reliever inhalers (blue coloured), for managing symptoms when necessary. 

While most commonly diagnosed in early childhood, asthma can also develop in adulthood. Genetics, allergies, pollution, and lung infections are all listed as potential causes by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). Still, there is a lack of scientific evidence to confirm for certain.

High endurance exercise triggers symptoms in nine out of 10 people with asthma, according to Asthma + Lung UK, a non-profit organisation. It can also have a similar effect on those without pre-diagnosed asthma.

"If you're an elite athlete, you're twice as likely to experience an asthma-related condition than you are if you were just a member of the