Author:

Abstract:

Intense physical exercise in athletes, increases the risk to develop exercise-induced bronchocontriction (EIB), most likely due to airway damage caused by increased breathing volume during intense exercise. This risk increases in circumstances that increase epithelial damage, such as extreme cold or chlorine by-products in a swimming pool. Little is known about the risk of intense physical exercise during lung growth in elite high-school athletes. Since several years, high-school elite educational programs exist aimed to prepare adolescents for potential later professional carreers at high competitive international levels. We hypothesize that constant increasing of the level (and frequency) of intense physical exercise at younger ages (and hence also the longitudinal period of intense exercise) even increases the risk for EIB. We therefore want to develop a screening test that allows to indicate high-school athletes at increased risk of EIB and to specifically select and refer them for adequate EIB diagnosing tests at young age. One of the well-known risk factors in adults (besides the cited) is the presence of atopy (eg grass pollen allergy). We recently discovered that the AQUA questionnaire that predicts atopy in adult athletes, can also be used to predict atopy in 11-13 years old high-school elite athletes (topsportschool). In the presence of 1 or 2 additional questions, the specificity to point to the risk for EIB was excellent. We furthermore adapted the diagnostic Eucapnic Hyperventilation Test, used in adults to diagnose EIB, for its use in 11-13 years old. In the current proposal we want to study whether the sceening as well as diagnostic test can also be used in elite high-school athletes of 14-18 years old. We furthermore want to study whether the screening and diagnosing protocol can be used in recreational adolescent (11-18y) athletes who perform their sport at least 12 h a week and whether 12 months treatment with cromones reduces their EIB.