Predictive value of allergy and pulmonary function tests for the diagnosis of asthma in elite athletes
- 5 September 2007
- Vol. 62 (10), 1166-1170
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1398-9995.2007.01503.x
Abstract
Asthma is frequently found in athletes, often associated with rhinitis and allergy. To study the predictive value of allergy and pulmonary function tests for the diagnosis of asthma in athletes. Ninety-eight national preOlympic athletes underwent an accurate medical examination including a validated questionnaire for asthma and rhinitis, spirometric recordings and skin prick testing with a panel of the most frequent inhalant allergens. Bronchodilator and/or exercise challenge were also performed in asthmatic subjects. Clinical asthma was present in 20.4% of athletes, rhinitis in 35.3% (in 21.4% of cases alone and in 13.9% associated with asthma). Positive prick tests were recorded in 44.4% of athletes (in 60.5% of asthmatics, in 95.2% of rhinitics and in 21.0% of nonasthmatic - nonrhinitic subjects). Mean spirometric values and distribution of abnormal values were not different among asthmatics, rhinitics and nonasthmatics - nonrhinitic patients. Skin-tests positivity was not related to the abnormal spirometric data found in individual cases. Provocation tests with bronchodilators or exercise did not appear sensitive enough to diagnose mild forms of asthma in subjects with normal basal spirometric values. Allergy testing and spirometry should be performed routinely in athletes because of the high prevalence of allergy, rhinitis and asthma in this population. However, the predictive value of these tests and of the bronchial provocation tests performed in this study seems too low to document mild or subclinical asthma in athletes.This publication has 25 references indexed in Scilit:
- Allergy and infectious diseases in athletesJournal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2003
- Responses to bronchial challenge submitted for approval to use inhaled β2-agonists before an event at the 2002 winter olympicsJournal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2003
- IntroductionJournal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2001
- Allergy and asthma in elite summer sport athletesJournal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2000
- Asthma in United States Olympic athletes who participated in the 1998 Olympic Winter GamesJournal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2000
- A springtime Olympics demands special consideration for allergic athletesJournal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2000
- Evidence of Airway Inflammation and Remodeling in Ski Athletes with and without Bronchial Hyperresponsiveness to MethacholineAmerican Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2000
- Guidelines for Methacholine and Exercise Challenge Testing—1999American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2000
- Perennial rhinitis: An independent risk factor for asthma in nonatopic subjects: Results from the European Community Respiratory Health SurveyJournal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 1999
- Asthma in United States Olympic athletes who participated in the 1996 Summer Games☆☆☆★Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 1998