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Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction and exercise testing in an international rugby union team
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  1. E C Falvey1,
  2. C McCarthy2,
  3. T M O'Connor3,
  4. F Shanahan4,
  5. M G Molloy5,
  6. B J Plant6
  1. 1Department of Rheumatology, Sport & Exercise Medicine, Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland
  2. 2Irish Rugby Football Union, Dublin, Ireland
  3. 3Department of Respiratory Medicine, Mercy University Hospital, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
  4. 4Department of Internal Medicine, Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland
  5. 5International Rugby Board, Dublin, Ireland
  6. 6Department of Respiratory Medicine, Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland
  1. Correspondence to Dr E C Falvey, Department of Rheumatology, Sport & Exercise Medicine, Cork University Hospital, Wilton, Cork, Ireland; e.falvey{at}mac.com

https://doi.org/10.1136/thx.2009.122598

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    Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) is an acute, transient airway narrowing that occurs during or after exercise, defined as a ≥10% decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) after exercise.1 Exercise-induced fatigue or dyspnoea due to EIB are often incorrectly attributed to deconditioning.2 In elite athletes, EIB has a prevalence of 7–50%.3 The prevalence of EIB in rugby union players has not been reported despite the sport's popularity, with >2 million players worldwide. We developed a rugby-specific exercise protocol and questionnaire to measure the prevalence of asthma/EIB in all players in the Irish Senior Rugby squad who attended preseason training.

    The exercise protocol differed from regular field or laboratory-based testing, reflecting the type of exertion experienced by elite rugby players …

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