A client who reports a decreased Rating of Perceived Exertion at a given treadmill running speed after taking albuterol, likely suffers from which of the following conditions?

Depression can reduce motivation and affect perceived effort globally but has no bronchodilatory mechanism that would explain lower RPE specifically following albuterol administration.

Asthma causes bronchoconstriction that increases the work of breathing, raising perceived exertion at any given exercise intensity. Albuterol, a beta-2 agonist bronchodilator, relaxes bronchial smooth muscle and opens the airways, reducing respiratory effort. This decreased work of breathing directly lowers the client's Rating of Perceived Exertion at the same treadmill speed.

Bradycardia is not relieved by albuterol; beta-2 agonists can mildly increase heart rate, and bradycardia does not involve airway obstruction that would produce a lower RPE after bronchodilator use.

Claudication involves peripheral arterial insufficiency causing leg pain during exercise and is unrelated to albuterol's mechanism of action on airway smooth muscle.