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Elite Athletes at Risk for Asthma: Presented at ATS

By Charlene Laino

SEATTLE, WA -- May 23, 2003 -- Elite athletes, particularly swimmers, are at increased risk for respiratory problems and asthma, according to a study presented here on May 20^th at the American Thoracic Society International Conference.

Thomas Lund, MD, a resident physician at Bispebjerg Hospital, in Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues studied 62 male elite athletes -- 19 cyclists, 24 ice hockey players, and 19 swimmers -- and 14 controls.

All 76 subjects were given a battery of tests, including allergen skin prick, maximal exercise test, lung function measurement, bronchial provocation with exercise and methacholine, and a reversibility test. The athletes were tested twice, once during training season and once out of training season. The control group of nonathletes was examined only once. All participants were interviewed and completed questionnaires about respiratory symptoms.

Dr. Lund said the swimmers had the best lung function, followed closely by the cyclists. The ice hockey players had slightly better lung function than the controls.

During training season, 34% of the athletes reported respiratory symptoms such as cough, breathlessness, wheezing, or chest tightness, although the incidence of symptoms decreased to 24% once they were out of training.

Respiratory symptoms were reported by 42% of swimmers in season and 37% out of season; by 32% of cyclists in season and 21% out of season; and by 29% of ice hockey players in season and 17% out of season. Twenty-one percent of controls had respiratory symptoms.

The study found that 21% of the elite athletes had asthma, compared with 7% of controls. When looked at by sport, the rate of asthma was 37% for swimmers, 17% for cyclists, and 13% for ice hockey players.

"Lung function, especially in the swimmers, was very high," Dr. Lund said in an interview. "Yet athletes, especially swimmers, had more symptoms and asthma than controls."

"In all the sports, when players push themselves to the edge, they irritate the airways," he explained. "Swimmers may be at highest risk due to the chlorine in the pool."

There is no cure other than to tell patients not to push as hard, Dr. Lund said. "But they like to push themselves so they will probably not follow the advice."

Some studies have shown that asthma symptoms ebb when athletes stop competing, he added.


[Study title: Respiratory Symptoms and Lung Function in Male Athletes. Abstract C034]

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