John Dickinson1, Alison McConnell, Greg Whyte. 1. Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK. j.w.dickinson@ljmu.ac.uk
Abstract
BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence to suggest many elite athletes fail to recognise and report symptoms of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB), supporting the contention that athletes should be screened routinely for EIB. PURPOSE: To screen elite British athletes for EIB using eucapnic voluntary hyperpnoea (EVH). METHODS: 228 elite athletes provided written informed consent and completed an EVH challenge with maximal flow volume loops measured at baseline and 3, 5, 10 and 15 min following EVH. A fall of 10% in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)) from baseline was deemed positive. Two-way analysis of variance was conducted to compare FEV(1) at baseline and maximal change following EVH between EVH-positive and EVH-negative athletes who did and did not report a previous diagnosis of EIB. Significance was assumed if p ≤0.05. RESULTS: Following the EVH challenge 78 athletes (34%) demonstrated EVH positive. 57 out of the 78 (73%) athletes who demonstrated EVH positive did not have a previous diagnosis of EIB. 30 athletes reported a previous diagnosis of asthma, nine (30%) of whom demonstrated EVH negative. There was no significant difference between the magnitude of the fall in FEV(1) between athletes who reported a previous diagnosis of EIB and demonstrated EVH positive, and those with no previous diagnosis of EIB who demonstrated EVH positive (mean±SD; -21.6 ± 16.1% vs -17.1 ± 9.7%; p=0.07). CONCLUSION: The high proportion of previously undiagnosed athletes who demonstrated EVH positive suggests that elite athletes should be screened routinely for EIB using a suitable bronchoprovocation challenge.
BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence to suggest many elite athletes fail to recognise and report symptoms of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB), supporting the contention that athletes should be screened routinely for EIB. PURPOSE: To screen elite British athletes for EIB using eucapnic voluntary hyperpnoea (EVH). METHODS: 228 elite athletes provided written informed consent and completed an EVH challenge with maximal flow volume loops measured at baseline and 3, 5, 10 and 15 min following EVH. A fall of 10% in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)) from baseline was deemed positive. Two-way analysis of variance was conducted to compare FEV(1) at baseline and maximal change following EVH between EVH-positive and EVH-negative athletes who did and did not report a previous diagnosis of EIB. Significance was assumed if p ≤0.05. RESULTS: Following the EVH challenge 78 athletes (34%) demonstrated EVH positive. 57 out of the 78 (73%) athletes who demonstrated EVH positive did not have a previous diagnosis of EIB. 30 athletes reported a previous diagnosis of asthma, nine (30%) of whom demonstrated EVH negative. There was no significant difference between the magnitude of the fall in FEV(1) between athletes who reported a previous diagnosis of EIB and demonstrated EVH positive, and those with no previous diagnosis of EIB who demonstrated EVH positive (mean±SD; -21.6 ± 16.1% vs -17.1 ± 9.7%; p=0.07). CONCLUSION: The high proportion of previously undiagnosed athletes who demonstrated EVH positive suggests that elite athletes should be screened routinely for EIB using a suitable bronchoprovocation challenge.
Authors: Jonathan P Parsons; David Cosmar; Gary Phillips; Christopher Kaeding; Thomas M Best; John G Mastronarde Journal: J Asthma Date: 2012-01-25 Impact factor: 2.515