Comparative study of bronchial hyperresponsiveness between football and judo groups in prepubertal boys

Abstract

Background: Exercise induced bronchospasm (EIB) commonly occurs during exercise. The comparative efects of diferent sports on airway responsiveness among prepubertal boys remain to be determined. Objectives: To assess diferences in post exercise spirometry between footballers, judokas and a control group in prepubertal boys. Patients and Methods: A total of ninety six prepubertal boys were studied. Bronchial hyper responsiveness (BHR) to exercise challenge test was defned by a diagnosis of baseline spirometry, followed by an incremental exercise test. To date, the best test to confrm EIB may simply be standard pulmonary function testing before and after high-intensity exercise. A 10% or greater post-challenge fall in forced expiratory volume in FEV1 is used as a diagnostic criterion. Results: There was no signifcant diference in baseline spirometry between all groups (P > 0.05). The post exercise spirometry test revealed the presence of EIB in 16 of 32 (50%) footballers against 9 out of 32 (28.12%) in both judokas and control subjects at 5 min after the exercise. Also, there was a signifcantly higher decrease (P < 0.05) in mean FEV1 at 5 minuts in footballers (-9.60 ± 6.18) compared to judokas (-5.41 ± 5.85). Conclusions: The footballers have more BHR than judokas, especially at 5min after the exercise. This may be due to prolonged hyperventilation, atopy and increased exposure to inhaled allergens and pollutants during training and competition.