Identification of Breathing Pattern Disorder in Athletes With Exercise-Induced Laryngeal Obstruction: A Novel Assessment Tool

Abstract

To report the diagnostic utility of the novel, high-ventilatory task assessment tool called the Milstein Breathing Pattern Assessment Index (M-BPAI) for evaluation of Breathing Pattern Disorder (BPD) in athletes with and without breathing difficulty, and to evaluate the prevalence of BPD in athletes referred for Exercise Induced Laryngeal Obstruction (EILO). BPD is an abnormal respiratory biomechanical pattern caused from functional or structural factors. The presence of BPD in athletes with EILO is unknown. The current clinical evaluations of dysfunctional breathing patterns are limiting for evaluation of BPD in patients with EILO, as these only evaluate the patients in low ventilatory output tasks of rest breathing. In this prospective study, a total of 77 athletes referred to the clinic for suspected EILO and 58 athletes without any respiratory difficulty underwent M-BPAI assessment. Data collection from the experimental group also included the Dyspnea Index, and laryngeal video endoscopic provocation test. The M-BPAI score was significantly larger in the patient group compared to the control group. An overall M-BPAI score of ≥8 corresponds to the AUC of 0.87 (95% CI: 0.81-0.93) with a sensitivity of 0.862 and specificity of 0.792. A total of 60 (78%) patients had an overall M-BPAI score of ≥8. The M-BPAI has the potential to be a valuable clinical diagnostic marker for identifying BPD in patients with suspected EILO with further research and validation.