Asthma, outdoor air quality and the Olympic Games

McKenzie, Donald C.; Boulet, Louis‐Philippe

doi:10.1503/cmaj.080982

Cited by 21 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…This likely suggests that the irritant quality of the pollutant on the respiratory system could potentially in uence athletic performance and to some extent supports the work of Helou et al [25] on marathon performances [17]. Furthermore, past research has shown that O 3 can decrease lung function therefore performance in laboratory tests [53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60], although this may not be the case under real-world conditions when the potentially exposure of runners could vary considerably.…”

Section: Combined In Uencessupporting

confidence: 56%

The influence of meteorology and air quality on parkrun athletic performance

Hodgson

Elliott²,

Chapman

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background Despite increased awareness of climate change and urban air pollution, little research has been performed to examine the influence of meteorology and air quality on athletic performance of the general public and recreational exercisers. Anecdotal evidence of increased temperatures and wind speeds as well as higher relative humidity conditions resulting in reduced athletic performance has been presented in the past, whilst urban air pollution can have negative short- and long-term impacts on health. Furthermore, pollutants such as Ozone, Nitrogen Dioxide and Particulate Matter can cause respiratory and cardiovascular distress, which can be heightened during physical activity. Previous research has examined these impacts on marathon runners, or have been performed in laboratory settings. Instead, this paper focuses on the potential impacts on the general public. With the rise of parkrun events (timed 5 km runs) across the UK and worldwide concerns regarding public health in relation to both air quality and activity levels, the potential influence of air quality and meteorology on what is viewed as a ‘healthy’ activity has been investigated. A weekly dataset of parkrun participants at fifteen events, located in London UK, from 2011–2016 alongside local meteorological and air quality data has been analysed. Results The biggest influencer on athletic performance is meteorology, particularly temperature and wind speed. Regression results between parkrun finishing times and temperature predominantly show positive relationships, supporting previous laboratory tests. Increased relative humidity also causes slower finishing times but in several cases is not statistically significant. Higher wind speeds also result in slower times and in contrast to temperature and relative humidity, male participants are more influenced than female by this variable. Although air quality does influence athletic performance to an extent, the heterogeneity of pollutants within London and between parkrun events and monitoring sites makes this difficult to prove decisively. Conclusions It has been determined that temperature and relative humidity can have the largest detrimental impact on parkrun performance, with Ozone also having an impact. The influence of other variables cannot be discounted however and it is recommended that modelling is performed to further determine the extent to which ‘at event’ meteorology and air quality has on performance. In the future, there results can be used to determine safe operating and exercise conditions for parkrun and other public athletics events.

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Section: Combined In Uencessupporting

confidence: 56%

The influence of meteorology and air quality on parkrun athletic performance

Hodgson

Elliott²,

Chapman

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…Although there has been no formal study on the comparative prevalence of causes of cough in athletes, cough in the athlete was mainly associated with asthma and EIB in 15 reports. 1,7,8,11,[33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43] Other associations were reported with airway dehydration and environmental exposures in six studies, [21][22][23][24]44,45 RTIs in five studies, [46][47][48][49][50] UACS due to rhinosinus conditions in two studies, 13,51 and exercise-induced vocal cord dysfunction (EIVCD) in two studies. 52,53 Although it is very common in athletes, we found no study on the effects of GERD on cough in this population.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cough in the Athlete

Boulet

Turmel

Irwin

et al. 2017

Chest

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The causes of cough in the athlete appear to differ slightly from those in the general population. It is often associated with environmental exposures related to the sport training environment and occurs predominantly following intense exercise. Clinical history and specific investigations should allow identification of the cause of cough as well as targeting of the treatment. Until management studies have been performed in the athlete, current guidelines that exist for the general population should be applied for the evaluation and treatment of cough in the athlete, taking into account specific training context and anti-doping regulations.

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“…Environmental factors, such as allergens, pollutants, particulate matter, ozone, and extreme weather conditions, in association with the high ventilation required for intense exercise in endurance sports, promote the development of airway narrowing in athletes with airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), and measures to reduce such exposures should be considered [7]. Allergens in sensitised athletes, chlorine derivatives, indoor and outdoor pollutants and cold air can particularly affect the athlete's airways, induce symptoms and possibly contribute to the development of AHR [1].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exercise and asthma: β2-agonists and the competitive athlete

Hancox

Fitch

2010

breathe

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Intermittent doses of inhaled  2 -agonists are the treatment of choice to block exercise-induced asthma/exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIA/EIB) if taken immediately before exercising. • Regular use of inhaled  2 -agonists has been found to increase the underlying severity of EIA/ EIB. • Inhaled  2 -agonists become less effective at blocking EIA/EIB and less effective bronchodilators if taken regularly or frequently. • The rules governing the use of inhaled  2 -agonists at the Olympic Games and other elite sporting events have changed several times, but many successful athletes continue to use them. • Athletes requiring frequent or regular doses of inhaled  2 -agonists should consider preventative measures and anti-infl ammatory treatments to reduce the need for inhaled -agonists.  HERMES syllabus link: module B.1.1last decade, the use of IBA by high-level athletes has been regulated by sports authorities to ensure proper usage of these drugs. Further readingAnderson SD, Kippelen P. Airway injury as a mechanism for exercise-induced bronchoconstriction in elite athletes J Allergy Clin Immunol 2008; 122(2): 225-235.An excellent review of current knowledge of the causation of EIA/EIB. It also discusses the role of infl ammatory mediators in EIA/EIB and reviews therapeutic approaches to management of EIA/EIB.

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Asthma, outdoor air quality and the Olympic Games

Cited by 21 publications

References 47 publications

The influence of meteorology and air quality on parkrun athletic performance

The influence of meteorology and air quality on parkrun athletic performance

Cough in the Athlete

Exercise and asthma: β2-agonists and the competitive athlete

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