Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jul 6:2022:3887471.
doi: 10.1155/2022/3887471. eCollection 2022.

Prevalence of Asthma among Norwegian Elite Athletes

Helene Støle Melsom  1   2 , Anders Randa  3 , Jonny Hisdal  1   2 , Julie Sørbø Stang  3 , Trine Stensrud  3
Affiliations

Prevalence of Asthma among Norwegian Elite Athletes

Helene Støle Melsom et al. Transl Sports Med. .

Abstract

Objective: Asthma is a common problem among elite athletes and represents a health risk interfering with the athlete's performance status. This study aimed to evaluate the asthma prevalence among Norwegian summer and winter elite athletes and asthma prevalence across sport categories. We also aimed to examine whether bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR), lung function, fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FENO), and allergy status differed between asthmatic and non-asthmatic elite athletes.

Methods: Norwegian athletes qualifying for the Beijing Olympic Summer Games 2008 (n = 80) and the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games 2010 (n = 55) were included. The athletes underwent clinical respiratory examination including lung function measurement, methacholine bronchial challenge for assessment of BHR, FENO, and skin prick testing. Asthma was diagnosed based on respiratory symptoms and clinical examination including objective measurements.

Results: Asthma was more prevalent among winter athletes (50%) than summer athletes (20%). Thirty-three (52%) endurance athletes, 3 (6%) team sport athletes, and 7 (33%) technical sport athletes had medically diagnosed asthma. Significantly lower lung function (p < 0.001) and higher prevalence of severe BHR (p < 0.001) were found in asthmatic athletes compared with non-asthmatic athletes.

Conclusion: Asthma is common among Norwegian elite athletes, with winter and endurance athletes showing the highest prevalence. Asthmatic athletes were characterized by lower lung function and more severe BHR compared with non-asthmatic counterparts. The high prevalence among winter and endurance athletes demonstrates a need for increased attention to prevent and reduce the prevalence of asthma among those athletes.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest or financial ties to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Differences in asthma prevalence between men and women, divided into summer and winter athletes, and by sport category.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Lung function, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), mean expiratory flow between 25 and 75% of FVC (MEF25–75), and FEV1/FVC in elite athletes across sport categories. ns = not significant different (p > 0.05); FEV1 = forced expiratory volume in one second; FVC = forced vital capacity; MEF25-75 = mean expiratory flow between 25 and 75% of FVC.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Carlsen K. H., Anderson S. D., Bjermer L., et al. Exercise-induced asthma, respiratory and allergic disorders in elite athletes: epidemiology, mechanisms and diagnosis: part I of the report from the joint task force of the european respiratory society (ERS) and the european academy of allergy and clinical immunology (EAACI) in cooperation with GA2LEN. Allergy . 2008;63(4):387–403. doi: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.2008.01662.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Fitch K. D. An overview of asthma and airway hyper-responsiveness in olympic athletes. British Journal of Sports Medicine . 2012;46(6):413–416. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2011-090814. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lennelov E., Irewall T., Naumburg E., Lindberg A., Stenfors N. The prevalence of asthma and respiratory symptoms among cross-country skiers in early adolescence. Canadian Respiratory Journal . 2019;2019:5. doi: 10.1155/2019/1514353.1514353 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Selge C., Thomas S., Nowak D., Radon K., Wolfarth B. Asthma prevalence in German olympic athletes: a comparison of winter and summer sport disciplines. Respiratory Medicine . 2016;118:15–21. doi: 10.1016/j.rmed.2016.07.008. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Helenius I., Rytilä P., Sarna S., et al. Effect of continuing or finishing high-level sports on airway inflammation, bronchial hyperresponsiveness, and asthma: a 5-year prospective follow-up study of 42 highly trained swimmers. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology . 2002;109(6) doi: 10.1067/mai.2002.124769a. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources