Exercise-induced bronchospasm in a hot and dry region: study of asthmatic, rhinitistic and asymptomatic adolescents

ABSTRACT

Background: Exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB) is the bronchial narrowing that occurs after intense exercise in a significant number of asthmatics and in some non-asthmatics. This study aims to evaluate the occurrence of EIB in adolescents with asthma, rhinitis and respiratory asymptomatics in a hot and dry climate.

Research design and methods: This is a cross-sectional study based on an epidemiological study that evaluated the prevalence of asthma in schoolchildren in a semi-arid zone of Brazil. The EIB was defined as a reduction in forced expiratory volume in first second (FEV₁) greater than 10%.

Results: A total of 114 individuals participated in the study (36.8% male), of whom 54 were asymptomatic, 30 asthmatic and 30 with rhinitis. Asthmatics presented a higher proportion of EIB in comparison to rhinitis and asymptomatics (46.7% vs. 13.3% and 7.4%, p = 0.001) and none of the individuals had severe EIB (ΔFEV₁ ≥ 50%).

Conclusions: A large proportion of the asthmatics selected from the community for the clinical study had EIB. Among participants with rhinitis, EIB was found in slightly more than 10%, while in the asymptomatics the frequency was slightly more than 5%. This study presents an important aspect in individuals living in hot and dry climates.

KEYWORDS:

• Asthma
• exercise-induced bronchospasm
• rhinitis
• epidemiology
• air humidity

Author contributions

MAV Correia Junior contributed to data collection, analysis, conception, and design. EC Costa contributed to analysis and interpretation of the data. SW Sarinho contributed to analysis, conception, design, and interpretation of the data. JA Rizzo contributed to study conception, data analysis and interpretation, and manuscript writing. ESC Sarinho contributed to conception, design, and interpretation of the data, the drafting of the paper or revising it critically for intellectual content; and the final approval of the version to be published. All authors agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work and all authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Chris Storey for help in reviewing English and Marineves Morais da Silva for her valuable contribution as a research doctor.

Declaration of interests

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties. Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This manuscript has not received any funding.