< Back

Abstract

Prevalence and Characteristics of Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction in High School and College Athletes at 2,240 m Altitude

VOLUME 69 - NUMBER 1 / January - February (Original articles)  doi: 10.24875/RIC.17002097

Martín Becerril-Ángeles, Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Hospital de Especialidades, Centro Médico Nacional La Raza, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Mexico City, Mexico
Mario H. Vargas, Medical Research Unit in Respiratory Diseases, Hospital de Pediatría, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social; Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias Ismael Cosío Villegas, Mexico City, Mexico
Leonardo Hernández-Pérez, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
Nancy Judith Rivera-Istepan, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
Rebeca Ivonne Pérez-Hidalgo, Fellowship recipient from the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, Mexico City, Mexico
Ana Gabriela Ortega-González, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
Severino Rubio-Domínguez, Sports and Recreational Activities General Directorate, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
María Cristina Rodríguez-Gutiérrez, Sports and Recreational Activities General Directorate, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
Radamés Gaxiola-Cortés, Sports and Recreational Activities General Directorate, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
Rodrigo Dosal-Ulloa, Sports and Recreational Activities General Directorate, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
Laura Gochicoa-Rangel, National Institute of Respiratory Diseases (INER), Mexico City, Mexico

Background: Athletes practicing strenuous physical activities may develop exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB). We aimed to determine the prevalence and features of this condition in Mexico City (altitude, 2,240 m). Methods: In the present study, 208 high school and college athletes performed a standardized EIB test on a treadmill. Results: Responses to exercise had large between-subject variability in all physiological parameters (forced expiratory volume in one second [FEV1], heart rate, blood oxygen saturation level [SpO2], blood pressure), with nearly similar proportions of subjects in whom FEV1 increased or decreased. According to the recommended cut-off value of 10% FEV1 decrease, only 15 (7.2%) athletes had a positive EIB test. Weight lifters were more prone to develop EIB (three out of seven athletes; p = 0.01). Subjects with a positive EIB test already had a lower baseline forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) ratio (96.4 vs. 103.2% of predicted, respectively; p = 0.047), and developed more respiratory symptoms after exercise than subjects with a negative test. There were no differences with respect to age, gender, body mass index, history of asthma or atopic diseases, smoking habit, and exposure to potential indoor allergens. Conclusions: The relatively low prevalence of EIB in athletes from Mexico City raises the possibility that high altitude constitutes a protective factor for EIB. In contrast, weight lifters were especially prone to develop EIB, which suggests that repetitive Valsalva maneuvers could be a novel risk factor for EIB. There was a large between subject variability of all physiological responses to exercise.

Keywords: Spirometry. Physical endurance. Sport medicine. Asthma.

Full Article in PDF