Olympian’s heavy training regimes could be causing asthma

With the London Summer Olympic Games now in full swing, an Australian study has been published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, investigating the impact of the training involved on the athletes and any connections to chronic lung conditions.

In a country such as Australia, whereby more than 2 million people suffer from the lung condition  asthma (about 1 in 10 adults and about 1 in 9 or 10 children),  clearly the study author based at the University of Western Australia realised it was a serious subject matter than warranted some analysis.

Sole author of the study, researcher Kenneth D. Fitch, underwent the painstaking task of pinpointing every single Olympic athlete suffering from asthma and airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR) who had competed during the previous five Olympic Games (2002 to 2010), and who had been using an inhaled beta-2 agonist (IBA) such as Ventolin Evohaler.

Hyper-responsiveness occurs usually between 15 to 30 minutes after exposure to an allergen and is the beginning stage of an asthma attack. Together, asthma and AHR are the most prevailing of chronic conditions seen in Olympians, with a prevalence rate of around 8%. Because of this, the researchers wondered if it was down to the intense, rigorous physical training the athletes undergo to get into peak condition for the events.

In both the summer and winter Olympics, it was noted there are a high number of athletes suffering from asthma and AHR in those who are involved in endurance events. These are usually aerobic sports that demand quite an extended period of output for the athlete and include events such as triathlon, decathlon, rowing, cross-country skiing, running and bicycle races. In addition, it was discovered that lung problems are quite late onset in a high number of older competitors. This led the study author to believe that the gruelling years of training have played a part.

Fitch offered his thoughts on the study he had carried out, saying, “Inhaling polluted or cold air is considered an important factor which might explain the cause in some sports, but not in all.”
Clearly with two Olympic events occurring in contrasting seasons such as the summer and winter games, Fitch then considered the prospect that the two differing temperatures, environments, etc, involved in both the training and games themselves, could affect the athletes.

He commented, “The quality of inhaled air could be harmful to the airways, but does not cause the same effect in all sports.” Fitch highlighted that the prevalence of asthma and AHR is greater in the summer Olympics in those athletes who are training for endurance events. He also said that if there are a larger total of winter athletes suffering with asthma in comparison to their summer counterparts, this could be due to the fact there are a lower number of individual medals available in the endurance events.
One interesting point touched upon in Fitch’s study, was the fact that there are a good proportion of asthmatic competitors who are routinely beating their ‘healthier’ counterparts to medals. There are currently no links to asthma inhalers being directly responsible for increased performance levels, but Fitch suggests that further studies could be done to further analyse a potential correlation. His point could be valid as the hugely successful and acclaimed Manchester United footballer Paul Scholes is a notorious asthmatic, and is regularly seen puffing on his Salbutamol inhaler on the Old Trafford pitch.

Asthma is not just a condition that affects athletes however; in the UK alone there are 5.4 million people currently receiving treatment for asthma. This equates to 1 in every 12 adults and 1 in every 11 children.

Medical Specialists Pharmacy is at hand to help you with your asthma. We have great prices on all asthma treatment, including blue reliever inhalers such as Ventolin Evohaler and Sandoz Salbutamol. These inhalers are taken immediately to relieve asthma symptoms. They quickly relax the muscles surrounding the narrowed airways. This allows the airways to open wider, making it easier to breathe again. Relievers are essential in treating asthma attacks.

We also have brown preventer inhalers such as Qvar beclometasone and Qvar Easi-Breathe, both at low prices. Brown inhalers are used for asthma prevention and should not be used to relief shortness of breath or sudden asthma attacks. These inhalers control the swelling and inflammation in the airways and reduce the risk of severe asthma attacks. The preventers need to be used daily (usually in the morning and at night) and even when you are feeling well. As the protective effect of the steroid builds up, you will be less likely to be breathless or have asthma attacks.

The New York childhood asthma rate is more than US national average

Statistics released by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that an average of one in eight New York City children have been diagnosed with asthma. This means that the prevalence rate is higher than the US national average for childhood asthma, which is currently about one in ten.

Thomas Matte, assistant commissioner for environmental surveillance and policy, commented on the findings and said, “New York City’s rate on average is higher, but then within the city we know the rate varies dramatically. Our rate is really pulled up by the high rates in poor neighbourhoods.”

Matte gives his opinions on why this is so, and says that households with lower income will probably have more possible asthma triggers such as mould, pest infestations, and the chemicals in cigarette smoke can irritate the lungs. The links between tobacco smoke and lung conditions such as asthma is a topic Medical Specialists Pharmacy previously reported earlier this year, and we advise that asthma suffers must have their reliever inhaler in their possession at all times, especially when there is a risk of being in the presence of somebody who smokes.

He further advises that written instructions for children and parents would be an effective method of managing their asthma.  According to the CDC survey, only one in three children using medication for asthma was actually doing this.

It is calculated that children residing in East Harlem are almost 13 times more likely to require asthma-related hospital treatment in comparison to counterparts living in the Upper East Side. The same report claims that 18% of Hispanic children and 17% of black children have been diagnosed with asthma, and just 5% of white children.

Dr Joshua Needleman, a paediatric pulmonologist at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, says Doctors are already aware of the trends that the report highlights, saying, “You find asthma all over the place, but the kids in the poor areas is where you see the most burden.”

With soaring temperatures currently gripping the US, child and adult asthma sufferers in both poor and wealthy areas will no doubt see their symptoms worsen, and this will apply to those who have hay fever too. Days with high humidity or pollution can especially cause problems for asthma sufferers and this can be dangerous if left untreated. The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) have said, “Although symptoms may not always be severe, summertime allergies and asthma are serious and, in some cases, deadly.”

At Medical Specialists Pharmacy we offer our patients a huge range of medications to help both asthma and allergy sufferers, all at great prices. If you have already been prescribed an inhaler, have lost your inhaler, or run out and cannot get a prescription immediately, we are able to supply you an inhaler to help your asthma symptoms. After undergoing a private and confidential online consultation with one of our Doctors, if you are suitable they will then write you a prescription which is passed to our in-house Pharmacists and dispensed to a location of your choice. We have both blue (relievers) inhalers such as Ventolin and Salbutamol cheaper than the NHS, and brown (preventers) inhalers such as Qvar Beclomethasone, Qvar Easi-Breathe and Pulvinal Beclomethasone.

An effective treatment for allergic rhinitis (hay fever) is Nasonex nasal spray. Available with or without a prescription, Nasonex is a medication used to help with congestion, sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, and nasal itching due to allergies. It is also prescribed for nasal polyps (small, non-cancerous growths on the lining inside the nose). Prices of this medication are from as little as £9.98 per pack. Our chemist shop has now been expanded to include products such Prevalin allergy nasal spray, Prevalin allergy kids nasal spray and Alomide allergy eye drops, which can all help to ease the symptoms of hay fever.

Poor lung function and vitamin D deficiency could be connected

A study published online in the July 12 edition of American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, has linked a deficiency of vitamin D to a worsening lung function in asthmatic children who are treated by the use of corticosteroid inhalers, such as Qvar Beclometasone or Easi-Breathe.

The study came about after researchers made the observation that the prevalence of both asthma and vitamin D deficiency have increased over the last few years. They then set about the task of uncovering any evidence that may suggest a link between these facts.

The 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were analysed in the serum of 1,024 children aged between 5 and 12 years old from the Childhood Asthma Management Program. Every child involved in the study was suffering from mild to moderate ‘persistent’ asthma and for the evaluations were randomly given either the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent nedocromil, budesonide (an inhaler corticosteroid), or a placebo.

It was determined by researchers that the children’s level of vitamin D would be judged as <20 ng/mL being deficient, 20 to 30 ng/mL being insufficient and >30 ng/mL would be classed as sufficient.

The results showed that 663 children (about 65%), 260 (about 25%), and 101 (about 10%) of the children in the study had vitamin D levels sufficient, insufficient and deficient, respectively. It was determined that those showing a deficient level of vitamin D were more likely to be older and black, or have a higher body mass index in comparison to those children who had ‘sufficient’ or ‘insufficient’ levels of vitamin D.

Ann Chen Wu, from the Harvard Medical School and one of the leading figures in the study, said, “In conclusion, vitamin D sufficiency in patients treated with inhaled corticosteroids is associated with improved lung function in patients with mild to moderate persistent asthma. Monitoring vitamin D levels and/or supplementing with vitamin D could be considered during inhaled corticosteroid treatment for patients with asthma.”

Dr Wu has acknowledged certain constraints with their study though. For example, the sample size of children with a deficient vitamin D level was particularly small. In addition, Dr Wu admits that the children’s vitamin D levels were analysed just once, this being upon entry into the trial.