Sweat link to asthma risk in athletes

An athlete’s ability to sweat may have a bigger role to play than simply keeping the body cool. It may also prevent the development of exercise-induced asthma (EIA), the results of a new study indicate.

According to a team of US researchers, EIA is a common respiratory condition among trained athletes. They looked at 56 athletes and found that those with the condition produce less sweat, tears and saliva than those who do not have breathing problems.

“It is unclear why so many elite athletes have exercise-induced asthma. It is possible that they manifest symptoms of exercise-induced asthma simply because their levels of exertion and breathing rate are so high compared with the average, competitive sportsperson,” said lead author, Dr Warren Lockette.

The researchers were unable to determine why diminished sweat excretion appeared to increase the incidence of EIA. However they suggested that the mechanism responsible for determining sweat volume is the same mechanism responsible for the volume of water secreted by the airways. As a result, individuals who sweat less also have drier airways.

“It now appears that how much fluid your airways secrete could be a key determinant in protecting you from exercise-induced asthma. So, if athletes sweat, drool, or cry, at least they won’t gasp,” Dr Lockette said.

The researchers also  warned that while EIA may be common among elite or highly trained athletes, recreational athletes can also suffer from this condition.

Details of these findings are published in the medical journal, Chest.

For more on asthma, see our Asthma Clinic at…http://www.irishhealth.com/c lin/asthma/index.html

[Posted: Mon 08/09/2008]