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Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water . . . Airway responsiveness and inflammation in adolescent elite swimmersLars Pedersen, MD, Thomas K. Lund, MD, Peter J. Barnes, DM, DSc, FRS, Sergei A. Kharitonov, MD, PhD, and Vibeke Backer, MD, DMSc Certain physical activities have been considered better for people suffering from asthma. Swimming has offered many positive factors for those with exercised induced asthma. The warm, humid atmosphere, year-round availability, toning of upper body muscles, and the horizontal position can help to mobilize mucus from the bottom of the lungs. Many of our patients have been encouraged to take up swimming. This study in the August 2008 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology throws some cool water on that theory, however. This research attempted to assess respiratory symptoms, airway responsiveness, and airway inflammation in adolescents involved in competitive swimming when compared to non-swimmer asthmatic and healthy adolescents. They found that adolescents who had been involved in competitive swimming for about 2 years and had trained approximately 20 hours per week did not show major differences from both groups of adolescents not involved in competitive swimming. It would seem that although elite swimmers do not have airways particularly at risk when they take up competitive swimming at a young age, they develop respiratory symptoms, airway inflammation, and airway hyperresponsiveness during their swimming careers. Adult elite athletes have a high occurrence of respiratory symptoms and airway hyperresponsiveness which may result from excessive increased breathing, as well as environmental factors related to their sport. Many elite athletes have airway inflammation, although the type of inflammation seems to vary between different types of sport. |
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© 1996-2008 · All Rights Reserved · American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology |
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