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Screening elite winter athletes for exercise induced asthma: a comparison of three challenge methods

Dickinson, John W., Whyte, G.P., McConnell, A.K., Harries, M.G. (2006) Screening elite winter athletes for exercise induced asthma: a comparison of three challenge methods. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 40 (2). pp. 179-182. ISSN 0306-3674. E-ISSN 1473-0480. (doi:10.1136/bjsm.2005.022764) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:43906)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsm.2005.022764

Abstract

BACKGROUND

The reported prevalence of exercise induced asthma (EIA) in elite winter athletes ranges from 9% to 50%. Many elite winter athletes do not report symptoms of EIA. At present there is no gold standard test for EIA.

OBJECTIVE

To establish the efficacy of screening for EIA and examine the role of the eucapnic voluntary hyperventilation (EVH) challenge and laboratory based and sport specific exercise challenges in the evaluation of elite winter athletes.

METHODS

14 athletes (mean (SD) age 22.6 (5.7) years, height 177.2 (7.0) cm, body mass 68.9 (16.9) kg) from the Great Britain short-track speed skating (n = 10) and biathlon teams (n = 4) were studied. Each athlete completed a laboratory based and sport specific exercise challenge as well as an EVH challenge, in randomised order.

RESULTS

All 14 athletes completed each challenge. Two had a previous history of asthma. Ten (including the two with a previous history) had a positive test to at least one of the challenges. Ten athletes had a positive response to EVH; of these, only three also had a positive response to the sport specific challenge. No athletes had a positive response to the laboratory based challenge.

CONCLUSIONS

Elite athletes should be screened for EIA. EVH is a more sensitive challenge in asymptomatic athletes than sport specific and laboratory based challenges. If sporting governing bodies were to implement screening programmes to test athletes for EIA, EVH is the challenge of choice.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1136/bjsm.2005.022764
Subjects: R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC1200 Sports medicine
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Natural Sciences > Sport and Exercise Sciences
Depositing User: John Dickinson
Date Deposited: 27 Nov 2014 12:44 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 10:17 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/43906 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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