Ample Use of Physician-Prescribed Medications in Finnish Elite Athletes

Abstract

The present study aimed at determining the use of physician-prescribed medication in a large number of elite athletes compared with a representative control sample of the general population. Of all the athletes (N = 494) financially supported by the National Olympic Committee, 446 completed a structured questionnaire (response rate 90.3 %) in 2002. A control group (N = 1503, response rate 80.1 %) comprised an age-matched sample from the population-based study collected by the National Public Health Institute. Any prescribed medication was used by 34.5 % of the athletes and 24.9 % of the controls during the past seven days. The most frequently reported physician-prescribed medications among athletes during the previous seven days were anti-allergic medicines (12.6 % of the respondents), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs; 8.1 %), anti-asthmatic medicines (7.0 %), and oral antibiotics (2.7 %). The adjusted odds ratios (95 % CI) for the physician-prescribed medications used during the previous seven days was 2.42 (1.69 - 3.46), 3.63 (2.25 - 5.84), 3.42 (2.05 - 5.70), and 2.15 (1.03 - 4.45) for use of anti-allergic medication, NSAIDs, anti-asthmatic medication, and oral antibiotics, respectively, in the athletes compared with controls. Every fifth athlete reported some NSAID-related adverse effect. In conclusion, the athletes used NSAIDs, antibiotics, anti-asthmatic and anti-allergic medication significantly more often than a representative sample of age-matched controls. All these medicines have potential adverse effects that may have a deleterious impact on the maximum exercise performance of elite athletes. Adverse effects were commonly reported in connection with NSAID use.

Preventive Health Perspective in Sports Medicine: The Trend at the Use of Medications and Nutritional Supplements during 5 Years Period between 2003 and 2008 in Football

“…Some previous studies have analysed the use of prescription medicines in different areas of sports, such as; in athletes during the Olympic Games (OG), in National Olympic squads participating in winter and summer sports and in professional soccer players in England and in Italy during one season (6,7,13,16). The present study differs from all of the previous studies in this field about the use of permitted drugs with the duration, data were collected prior to every match during 5 years (4 football seasons).…”

“…Although there are reports of a high prevalence of sustained adverse effects with NSAID use in athletes, the indication for NSAIDs appears to have been broadened to almost any painful condition (16,17). National Health Service recommends lowest possible dose for shortest possible period referring the use of NSAIDs and they also recommend to avoid the use of additional preparations with NSAIDs (18).…”

Rhabdomyolysis/myoglobinemia and NSAID during 48 h ultra-endurance exercise (adventure racing)

“…NSAID use is very common among different types of sports and athletes (Alaranta et al 2006;Corrigan and Kazlauskas 2003;Taioli 2007;Wharam et al 2006) and more common for athletes than the general population (Alaranta et al 2006). Reasons for NSAID consumption during expeditionlength ARs are so far unknown, and probably vary, but one aspect is certain: different kinds of musculoskeletal injuries are commonly developed during these long races Newsham-West et al 2010;Townes et al 2004).…”

Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) 2008*

“…This approval rate was 26% less than the notifications in 2000 in Sydney (5.7%; 2064). There is ample use of doctorprescribed medications in Finnish elite athletes (2065) but there are no signs of inhaled ß 2 -agonist overuse (181). (2066).…”