The meta-analysis outlined above largely questions whether indoor pools can be linked to causing asthma, and that’s not an issue that really has any bearing on my decision. AG already has asthma, so I’m concerned with the second half of the analysis.

In it, the researcher noted that studies on children who already had asthma measured for changes before and after swimming, but it’s unclear if measurements or analysis were for improvement-only. Plus, the “objective tests” mentioned were pulmonary function tests–even if those results came out okay, that DOESN’T mean the test subjects weren’t experiencing inflammation that had no effect on pulmo function yet. As we all know, asthmatics can have airway inflammation and not even know it, until it gets worse and starts to affect breathing. That can happen days later, even.

Secondly, the researcher found in those studies a “four to six fold increase in asthma attacks for both running and cycling compared to swimming.”

That doesn’t mean indoor pools have NO effect on asthma–just that running and cycling appear to have MORE of an effect.

None of this is strong enough to sway my decision, especially when the physical evidence in front of me—the strong smell of chlorine at indoor pools makes ME cough, and I don’t even have asthma—makes me hesitate.

I won’t say my daughter never swims in indoor pools–she has, a couple of times, and hasn’t flared. But I have yet to join a rec center and let her use one regularly the way she wants to throughout the winter, because I have no way to tell whether that trapped chlorine is inflaming her lungs and setting her up for flares LATER, even if it’s not making her actively flare at the time.

Asthma is different for everyone. What triggers one person’s flare may have no effect at all on another person. If you want to let your asthmatic child try an indoor pool, I’d say your best bet is to try it out with no expectations and go very, very prepared with appropriate medication/inhalers. Maintain informed vigilance. If she never flares, great! And if she does have problems, then you’ve a got a decision to make, whether the year-round pool experience is worth pre-treating and risking flares for, anyway, or if you should just limit swimming to the summer and outdoor pools and/or beaches, rivers, and lakes.

So far, I’ve opted for that last option.

Ammey,
I’m sorry your daughter had such a bad flare–I’d definitely bring it up with her doctor if she’s never had one that severe and especially since her skin is sensitive to the chlorine. Thanks for stopping by.

Great article.