Asthma - occupational disease of athletes
Asthma is so common among athletes that doctors often refer to it as their occupational disease. To the greatest extent it affects athletes who practice endurance sports at the high level.
"The increased risk of asthma is primarily associated with sports that require long-term exertion and hyperventilation, such as cycling and long-distance running among summer sports, cross-country skiing among winter sports" - said in an interview with PAP Marek Kowalski, internal medicine, allergology and clinical immunology expert from the Medical University of Lodz.
Hubert Krysztofiak, chairman of the Medical Committee of the Polish Olympic Committee, added swimming to that group and mentioned the specifics of that sport\'s situation.
"In the case of swimming there is the issue of exposure to chlorine in the pool water. It is still a matter of debate, but that is the concept, and it is quite well documented that certain chlorine derivatives have properties that can cause changes in the respiratory tract, which will result in asthma" - he noted.
Kowalski emphasized that endurance athletes should be under strict supervision.
"This is because in their case the probability of this athletes\' occupational disease is very high" - he argued.
Krysztofiak mentioned that we are more likely to see asthma in high-level or even top athletes because they train very hard.
"They have a very large volume of training and long-time exposure to high hyperventilation" - he explained.
A matter often discussed is the use of asthma medications by athletes.
"If we\'re talking about therapeutic doses, according to the scientific knowledge we have and the position of the World Anti-Doping Agency they do not affect the efficiency of the body. Taking larger doses would indeed have an anabolic effect" - noted the office director of the Commission Against Doping in Sport, Michał Rynkowski.
As he added, anti-doping diagnostics has the answer.
"Laboratories monitor the levels of substances that are used to treat bronchial asthma. In cases where the permissible concentrations are exceeded, investigations are initiated" - he emphasised.
Kowalski also pointed to another problem that affects athletes struggling with this disease.
"They do not use the medicines they should and can do because these drugs are on the list of approved medicines. Or they use them irregularly or inappropriately" - he said.
Agnieszka Niedziałek (PAP)
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