EDITORIAL

Exercise induced bronchoconstriction in elite athletes

Exercise induced bronchoconstriction in elite athletes: measuring the fall

K Holzer¹, J A Douglass²

¹ Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital and University of Melbourne, Parkville 3050, Australia
² Department of Allergy, Immunology and Respiratory Medicine, Alfred Hospital and Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
A Professor J A Douglass
Department of Allergy, Immunology and Respiratory Medicine, Alfred Hospital and Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia; j.douglass@alfred.org.au

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Decreased FEV₁ in response to bronchial provocation challenge remains the method of choice for diagnosing EIB in elite athletes, but the exact level of fall which represents an abnormal response still needs to be determined

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Keywords: asthma; sensitivity; diagnosis; eucapnic voluntary hyperventilation; elite athletes

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The problem of exercise induced asthma (EIA) in elite athletes was first recognised because of the disproportionately high numbers of athletes at the elite level using ß₂ agonists for asthma treatment during competition. In response to this problem, the International Olympic Committee’s Medical Commission (IOC-MC) and other major sporting bodies have instituted guidelines requiring objective evidence of asthma to permit medication use by elite athletes in competition.¹ These guidelines have highlighted the need for bronchial provocation challenge tests in the diagnosis of asthma in the elite athlete group.

EIA describes the transitory increase in airway resistance that occurs following vigorous exercise.² However, because exercise may be the only provoking factor in some patients, especially in elite athletes where there are no other symptoms or signs of asthma, the term "exercise induced bronchoconstriction" (EIB) may be more appropriate. This allows the separation of a physiological . . . [Full text of this article]

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This article has been cited by other articles:

• Parsons, J. P. (2009). Exercise-Induced Bronchospasm: Coding and Billing for Physician Services. Chest 136: 1189-1189 [Full Text]