Asthma Protocols For Top Athletes

Main Category: Sports Medicine / Fitness
Also Included In: Respiratory / Asthma
Article Date: 04 Mar 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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Just a few months ahead of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and the European Football Cup, top experts on asthma and allergic diseases from the United States and Europe, gathered in Barcelona, Spain to strategize about the dangers and control measures for athletes with asthma and allergies.

During the 'Bronchoconstriction, Asthma and Allergy in Sports & Exercise' (BASE) summit, the presidents of the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), Professors Roy Gerth Van Wijk, MD, FAAAAI, and Thomas B. Casale, MD, FAAAAI, respectively, revealed that approximately 20% of top athletes (Olympic champions level) suffer from asthma, while in certain elite athlete groups statistics may reach 50%.

"However, athletes with allergies and asthma can become champions, if they are diagnosed early and follow their treatment. Being aware of these conditions, not only makes it easier to handle, but also lifts any possible disadvantage from such individuals," according to Professor Luis Delgado, chair of the meeting.

At the close of the Barcelona BASE summit, experts from both Academies began drafting a manuscript that defines the basic principles of proper diagnosis and treatment, and called for universal consensus among related organizations, stating that treatment can lead athletes to high achievements while safeguarding fair competition. It is anticipated that the recommendations will be completed before the Olympics, and will include information fro both elite and recreational athletes who have exercise-induced respiratory or allergy symptoms.

The AAAAI represents allergists, asthma specialists, clinical immunologists, allied health professionals and others with a special interest in the research and treatment of allergic disease. Allergy/immunology specialists are pediatric or internal medicine physicians who have elected an additional two years of training to become specialized in the treatment of asthma, allergy and immunologic disease. Established in 1943, the AAAAI has more than 6,500 members in the United States, Canada and 60 other countries.

American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology