Épreuve d'effort chez l'asthmatique. Pour qui ? Pour quoi ?

Asthma in children is not the most important indication for an exercise test. However, one might recommend a cardiopulmonary exercise test systematically in the follow-up of patients with severe asthma when there is persistent bronchial obstruction, when an asthmatic child complains of dyspnoea on exertion, or when the child`s physical activity is limited. This test could be used to assess exercise tolerance, ventilatory adaptations, and the need for exercise training. Follow-up and evaluation of this training could be through a field exercise test (shuttle test or walk test). Moreover, the diagnosis of childhood asthma is frequently based only on symptoms suggestive of exercise-induced asthma. When the clinical features or a bronchodilatator test are not diagnostic, analysis of symptoms occurring during an exercise test can establish the diagnosis. The exercise test is thus a method that provides the time and intensity necessary to trigger exercise-induced bronchospasm.