After analyzing the data of five Olympic Games that is from 2002 to 2010, it has been found that 8% of the athletes have been suffering from asthma, a breathing problem. The research was being carried out by a group of researchers from the University of Western Australia.

Lead researcher Kenneth Fitch from the University of Western Australia, said that they have found that the athletes, who have been suffering from asthma, had taken beta-2 agonists, to treat the problem. It has also been found that the problem exits more among those athletes, who have been involved in endurance games.

While talking about athletes, who suffer from asthma, Fitch said that there can be two reasons for which these athletes have higher risk of getting diagnosed with asthma. One of the reasons is inhaling of smoke and second reason is swimming in cold water. “Inhaling polluted or cold air is considered an important factor which might explain the cause in some sports, but not in all”, he said.

Asthma has been found to be quite common among athletes, but it could not be said that their performance has been hampered by the same. The study has also found a place in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.