Prevalence of exercise‐induced bronchoconstriction and laryngeal obstruction in adolescent athletes

Abstract

Objectives To study the prevalence of exercise‐induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) and exercise‐induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO) in adolescent athletes. Methods All adolescents (n = 549) attending first year at a sports high school in 2016 and 2017, were invited to answer a questionnaire on respiratory symptoms. The 367 responding participants were divided into two groups based on whether they reported exercise‐induced dyspnea (dyspnea group) or not (nondyspnea group). Randomly selected participants in each group were invited to undergo two standardized exercise tests, an EIB test and a continuous laryngoscopy exercise (CLE) test, to investigate EILO. Results In total, 98 participants completed an EIB test, 75 of whom also completed a CLE test. Positive EIB tests: eight of 41 in the dyspnea group and 16 of 57 in the nondyspnea group. Positive CLE tests: 5 of 34 in the dyspnea group and three of 41 in the nondyspnea group. The estimated prevalence of EIB was 23.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 14.5–33.8) and of EILO 8.1% (95% CI: 2.5–18.5) in the whole study population. No differences in prevalence of EIB or EILO were found between the dyspnea and the nondyspnea groups. Conclusion EIB was highly prevalent in this cohort of adolescent athletes. EILO was less prevalent, but represents an important differential diagnosis to EIB. Self‐reported exercise‐induced dyspnea is a weak indicator for both EIB and EILO and standardized testing should be provided.

Breath Tools: A Synthesis of Evidence-Based Breathing Strategies to Enhance Human Running

“…An estimated 20%–40% of otherwise healthy runners experience EID even at low absolute exercise intensities ( Johansson et al, 2015 ; Smoliga et al, 2016 ; Ersson et al, 2020 ). This could be because unfit or deconditioned individuals may approach high levels of exertion and experience limb fatigue at low absolute workloads ( Abu-Hasan et al, 2005 ).…”

Exercise Related Respiratory Problems in the Young—Is It Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction or Laryngeal Obstruction?

“…EILO is a less well-known diagnosis, and therefore possibly less likely to be considered. Ersson et al found an estimated prevalence of EIB in 23% and EILO in 8% of adolescents attending first year of sports high school in Sweden, underlining the importance of EILO as differential diagnosis to EIB ( 58 ). In two other Scandinavian studies of unselected children with exercise related complaints, the EILO prevalence was 5% and 7.5% ( 5 , 6 ).…”

The Need for Testing—The Exercise Challenge Test to Disentangle Causes of Childhood Exertional Dyspnea

“…Around 5% of the adolescent population experience an inspiratory airflow limitation during exercise due to inappropriate closure of the larynx: EILO ( 1 , 40 ). It is a frequent, but underdiagnosed cause of exertional dyspnea that mainly affects adolescent, female athletes ( 41 ).…”