Prevalence of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction in teenage football players in Tunisia

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Studies on exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) in team sports are lacking. The aim of this study was to screen for EIB among amateur teenage football players in Tunisia and to compare EIB prevalence between regions. METHODS: One hundred ninety-six male football players (mean age [SD], 13.5 [0.5] yrs), practicing in three different cities of Tunisia (Tunis, Sousse and Sfax), underwent an outdoor free run of 7 minutes. Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) was recorded prior to and at 0, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 minutes after the run. Players were screened for EIB positivity defined as a greater than 10% decline in FEV1 from the resting value at any timepoint. RESULTS: FEV1 decreased more than 10% in 30% of the players. EIB positivity was more common in Sfax (15.8%) than in Tunis (7.7%) (P=.03). Air humidity during the study was higher in Tunis. CONCLUSION: EIB is prevalent among amateur teenage football players in Tunisia. The prevalence differs between regions and seems to be dependent on air humidity levels.