Allergy Capital

Exercise, "S-exercise" and allergy


It is not always recognized that exercise and sexual activity can sometimes induce acute allergic reactions.

Version 24 August 2003

IMPORTANT The information provided is of a general nature and should not be used as a substitute for professional advice. If you think you may suffer from an allergic or other disease that requires attention, you should discuss it with your family doctor.

Exercise-Induced Asthma
Exercise-induced asthma affects around 1 in 5 people, including some of our most elite athletes! It is thought to result from drying of the airways when people increase the breathing rate with exercise. It is worse when breathing cool or dry air. "Warming up" with mild exercise or using medication beforehand usually controls the symptoms. Asthma can also be triggered by sexual activity. Whether this is due to "exercise", excitement or anxiety is uncertain. Fortunately, it responds very well to routine asthma medication.

"Skiers nose" and "Honeymoon Hay fever"
The nose is rich in blood vessels and mucus glands. Sensitive nerve endings will control mucus production and clearness of the nose. In most people, the nose will temporarily clear and dry up with exercise. An unfortunate few with exercise rhinitis, however, will bloc and drip with exercise, interfering with athletic performance. This is thought to be due to cooling and drying of the nose with increased nasal breathing. Wearing masks or balaclavas when exercising in cool dry air sometimes helps, probably by reducing heat and water loss from the nose. Skiers nose is a related condition triggered as a reflex response to inhaling cold dry air. Honeymoon Hay fever can cause similar symptoms but appears to results from direct stimulation of nerves controlling blood vessels and mucus glands during sexual excitement. Antihistamines are generally unhelpful in these conditions, but many people will respond to nose sprays containing Ipratropium bromide ("Atrovent").

Exercise and hives
Cholinergic urticaria (also known as "sweating hives") commonly affects young adults. They get an itchy, blotchy rash when they sweat. Sweating can be triggered by exercise, sexual activity, stress, hot bathes, saunas and alcoholic beverages, all of which may act as co-factors before, during and after sexual activity as well as exercise! Symptoms usually develop during or just after stopping exercise and can often be prevented by taking an antihistamine an hour or two before the onset of sweating.

 

 

Exercise-induced anaphylaxis
Exercise-induced anaphylaxis typically affects young adults, causing hives, swelling of the throat, wheeze, sweating, dizziness, an upset stomach or a blocked and runny nose. Symptoms usually occur during exercise. Some people develop these severe allergic symptoms with exercise alone, whereas others only do so if they eat certain foods (to which they are allergic) around the same time. Sexual activity counts as exercise! The severity of symptoms is generally influenced by the amount of food ingested, the vigor of exercise and the time between the two. Thus severe symptoms are usually due to food eaten only a few hours earlier.

Unusual allergic reactions following sexual activity
Uncommon allergic reactions following sexual activity include:

Summary
The capacity for sexual activity to provoke acute allergic reactions is rare but poorly recognized when it does occur. Patients expressing concern about allergy to sexual activity should not be lightly dismissed, but rather investigated and treated appropriately.

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