ABSTRACT
Exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO) is an important cause of exertional dyspnea in athletic individuals. It is a condition that has only really been recognised since the 1980s. The condition is defined by the presence of upper airway obstruction at a glottic or supraglottic level during exercise in the absence of associated symptoms at rest. Inducible laryngeal obstruction (ILO) is an umbrella term, coined and published in 2015 by a multispecialty group of experts, which describes episodic upper airway obstruction caused by the true vocal folds or tissue associated with the arytenoid cartilages, aryepiglottic folds, or epiglottis. The evaluation of patients with suspected EILO should focus on characterisation of upper airway behaviour during periods of self-identified symptom reproduction. Importantly, an evaluation should also simultaneously include assessment of asthma and potential disease contributors.
