Thousands of athletes from all over the world compete in the Olympic Games, united by their discipline and effort in a competition where only the best athletes on the planet participate. However, there is another thing that many have in common: suffering from asthma.
Asthma is the most common chronic disease among Olympic athletes, according to a study carried out by the University of Western Australia (Australia) and collected by the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Thus, asthma and airway hyperresponsiveness have a prevalence of around 8% among Olympic athletes and could be related to intense training. The onset of asthma among athletes who participate in endurance sports is relatively late, so experts believe that years of intense training could be one of the causes.
“Inhalation of polluted or cold air is considered an important factor that could explain the cause in some sports, but not all,” says Kenneth D. Fitch, author of the work.
The study analyzed data from athletes with asthma and bronchial hyperresponsiveness who used bronchodilator drugs frequently used by elite athletes as asthma treatment, in five Olympic games, from 2002 to 2010.
The results thus show a prevalence of around 8%, which makes it the most common chronic disease among Olympic athletes. In addition, there are more asthmatic athletes in winter sports than in summer , mainly because in summer competition there are fewer individual medals in endurance sports.
