Impact of climate variability on exercise-induced bronchospasm in adolescents living in a semi-arid region.

Edinely Michely De Alencar Nelo,Ricardo De Freitas-Dias,Jéssica Thayani Santos Brandão,Hamilton Felipe Andrade Santos,Marco Aurélio De Valois Correia,José Pereira De Lima,Jânio Luiz Correia,José Fernando Vila Nova De Moraes

doi:10.31744/einstein_journal/2021ao5744

Edinely Michely De Alencar Nelo, Ricardo De Freitas-Dias + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.31744/einstein_journal/2021ao5744

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Abstract

ABSTRACTObjective:To examine the impact of climate variability on the occurrence of exercise-induced bronchospasm in the rainy and dry seasons of a Brazilian semi-arid region.Methods:This sample comprised 82 adolescents aged 15 to 18 years, who were submitted to exercise-induced bronchospasm assessment on a treadmill and outdoors, during the rainy and the dry season. Anthropometric variables, sexual maturity and forced expiratory volume in the first second were analyzed. Air temperature and humidity, decline in forced expiratory volume in the first second (%) and frequency of bronchospasm were compared between seasons using the independent Student’s t test, the Wilcoxon and McNemar tests, respectively. The level of significance was set at p<0.05.Results:The mean age was 15.65±0.82 years. Air temperature, air humidity and decline in forced expiratory volume in the first second (%) differed between seasons, with higher air temperature and humidity in the rainy season (29.6ºC±0.1 and 70.8%±0.6 versus 28.5ºC±0.2 and 48.5%±0.6; p<0.05). The decline in forced expiratory volume in the first second (%) was greater in the dry season (9.43%±9.97 versus 12.94%±15.65; p<0.05). The frequency of bronchospasm did not differ between seasons.Conclusion:The dry season had a negative impact on forced expiratory volume in the first second in adolescents, with greater decrease detected during this period. Findings of this study suggested bronchospasm tends to be more severe under low humidity conditions.

Highlights

Exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB) is a transient bronchial constriction that happens after exercise, leading to a 10% or greater decrease in forced expiratory volume in the first second (VEF1) relative to baseline.[1]
The pathophysiology of EIB is directly related to exercise-induced hyperventilation and resultant low airway dehydration.[4]. This process affects the osmotic gradient in the epithelium, and stimulates the release of mediators involved in bronchospasm by nerves, epithelial and inflammatory cells.[4]
This study examined the occurrence of EIB in adolescents living in a semi-arid region with a hot, dry climate, and low levels of relative air humidity throughout the year[8,10] a factor associated with higher risk of EIB.[3]. The greater decline in FEV1 (%) occurred in the dry season, when air temperature and relative humidity were lower relative to the rainy season

Summary

Introduction

Exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB) is a transient bronchial constriction that happens after exercise, leading to a 10% or greater decrease in forced expiratory volume in the first second (VEF1) relative to baseline.[1]. The pathophysiology of EIB is directly related to exercise-induced hyperventilation and resultant low airway dehydration.[4] This process affects the osmotic gradient in the epithelium, and stimulates the release of mediators involved in bronchospasm by nerves, epithelial and inflammatory cells.[4] Apart from this pathophysiological process, climates with low relative air humidity levels (

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