Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction and atopy in Tunisian athletes

Ridha Sallaoui,Zouhair Tabka,Karim Chamari,Moktar Chtara,Abbas Mossa,Mohamed Amri,Youssef Feki

doi:10.1186/1471-2466-9-8

Abstract

BackgroundThis study is a cross sectional analysis, aiming to evaluate if atopy is as a risk factor for exercise induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) among Tunisian athletes.MethodsAtopy was defined by a skin prick test result and EIB was defined as a decrease of at least 15% in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) after 8-min running at 80–85% HRmaxTheo. The study population was composed of 326 athletes (age: 20.8 ± 2.7 yrs – mean ± SD; 138 women and 188 men) of whom 107 were elite athletes.ResultsAtopy was found in 26.9% (88/326) of the athletes. Post exercise spirometry revealed the presence of EIB in 9.8% of the athletes including 13% of the elite athletes. Frequency of atopy in athletes with EIB was significantly higher than in athletes without EIB [62.5% vs 23.1%, respectively].ConclusionThis study showed that atopic Tunisian athletes presented a higher risk of developing exercise induced bronchoconstriction than non-atopic athletes.

Highlights

This study is a cross sectional analysis, aiming to evaluate if atopy is as a risk factor for exercise induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) among Tunisian athletes
Many triggers have been reported to induce the development of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) called exercise-induced asthma (EIA), notably the exposure to cold and dry air; humidity [4], thermal phenomena [5], and atopic status which appears to be determinant
Intergroup comparison indicated that athletes with EIB had significantly lower post-exercise forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) than the athletes without EIB (p < 0.001) with respective values of 16.85 ± 2.30% and 4.09 ± 3.51% of drop in FEV1

Summary

Introduction

This study is a cross sectional analysis, aiming to evaluate if atopy is as a risk factor for exercise induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) among Tunisian athletes. Many triggers have been reported to induce the development of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) called exercise-induced asthma (EIA), notably the exposure to cold and dry air; humidity [4], thermal phenomena [5], and atopic status which appears to be determinant. The reasons for this observation are still debated, but different mechanisms linked to the intensity of physical activity and atopy in athletes are probably involved [6,7]. Atopic reactivity can be verified by serological tests or by skin-prick tests to detect antigenspecific IgE antibodies [9]

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Conclusion