As we come close to the Beijing Olympic Games, a
review article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association
Journal) reminds us that the heat and humidity in
the Beijing region will present a formidable challenge
to all athletes. Moreover, poor quality of air can
also affect all athletes, especially those with asthma.
"With exposure to an environment that has poor
quality, air pollutants may trigger symptoms of asthma
in a dose-dependent manner," say Donald McKenzie
and Louis-Philippe Boulet. "With the high minute
ventilation (amount of air breathed in one minute)
seen during exercise, the effects of exposure to
these pollutants are more noticeable in athletes
than in non-athletes and likely more evident in people
with asthma than in those without asthma."
Physical activity and regular exercise can improve
the control of asthma and is recommended to patients.
However, there is mounting evidence that frequent,
intense exercise by highly trained athletes could
itself contribute to the development of asthma. Long-term
endurance training may influence the structure and
function of airways in the lungs and make them hyperresponsive,
contributing to the development of asthma.
McKenzie and Boulet say that athletes with asthma
need an individualized management plan that needs
to comply with the anti-doping regulations of the
International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping
Agency. For example, athletes who wish to use an
inhaled medication, such as one of the permissible
beta-2 agonists, need to document the need for this
medication by appropriate lung function testing and
submit an application to the International Olympic
Committee's Medical Commission.
China has implemented strategies in the Beijing
region to improve air quality during the Olympic
Games. "However, a significant percentage of
the pollution (about 35%) at the Olympic Stadium
can be attributed to sources outside Beijing. Controlling
only local sources of pollution may not be sufficient
to achieve the air quality goal set for the Beijing
games," say McKenzie and Boulet.
"Asthma, outdoor air quality and the Olympic
Games"
Donald C. McKenzie MD PhD, Louis-Philippe Boulet
MD
Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ)
CMAJ 2008 0: cmaj.080982
Click here to view article (PDF)
CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal)
CMAJ is the leading health sciences journal in Canada.
CMAJ is a general medical journal publishing original
research and review articles, commentaries and editorials,
practice updates, an arts and ideas section and health
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are uploaded on www.cmaj.ca every second Monday at
4:30 p.m. EST/EDT. www.cmaj.ca contains the complete
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