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Hay fever or asthma ?

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I train regularly on a swim team at several different pools. Lately, while I have been training at one of the pools, I have been getting a severe cough during practice. I don't understand what it is but I don't think it is my asthma, since taking my inhaler doesn't help and my peak flow meter stays up throughout the practice. I have been getting this cough ever since the pool re-opened from construction. Could I be coughing because I am allergic to something that was used during the construction? I don't cough when I swim at any of the other pools I train at. Could I be coughing because it is an indoor pool instead of an outdoor one? I really don't understand it and neither does my asthma pulmonologist.

I have also noticed that this cough only occurs when I am stressing my lungs. It takes a while for my cough to get really severe (like I get it about an hour into practice) and it will slowly go away if I get out of the water and sit or just take it easy for a while. Please help!
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replied July 15th, 2008
Extremely eHealthy
Do you have other symptoms like burning eyes, nasal burning and congestion?
Have you noticed that your asthma symptoms got worse?
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replied July 19th, 2008
Not really. I just have a severe cough that only comes on at that one pool.
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replied July 28th, 2008
Extremely eHealthy
Most harmful chlorine exposures are the result of inhalation, causing airway irritation, wheezing, difficulty breathing, sore throat, cough and chest tightness.

Being exposed to chlorinated hydrocarbons in overchlorinated pool can lead to hypersensitivity and "asthma-like" respiratory conditions in some swimmers.

Also, even though chlorine concentrations in a pool environment are at acceptable "safe" levels, it is a swimmer's exercising that produces abnormal levels of exposure to this toxin (exercising in a chlorinated pool increases the levels of assimilation of chlorine related gases.)
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