High prevalence of asthma and bronchial hyperreactivity has been shown in highly trained athletes while literature on available data in recreational athletes is less consistent. The goal of this study was to investigate exercise-induced bronchoprovocation, bronchial responsiveness, atopy and their relations in young symptomatic recreational athletes. Thirty-nine young students, recreational athletes, males and females, (age 18.00+/-1.0) were studied in our Centre. Simptoms like dyspnoea, cough, wheeze and chest tighness had be present during exercise. The subjects, answerred detailed respiratory anamnestic questionnaire and were given an exercise challenge, a skin prick test and a methacoline challenge test. Increased bronchial hyperreactivity occurred in 67.0% of students; atopy was observed in 82%; exercise-induced bronchoconstriction occurred in 38% of recreational athletes. None of the patients who had a negative methacoline test had a positive exercise challenge. All students with positive exercise challenge had a positive methacoline test. Dyspnoea and cough were prevalent symptoms (77% and 46%). We think that bronchial hyperreactivity and exercise-induced bronchoconstriction are common in recreational athletes as well as top athletes. Atopy seems to be important in developing exercise-induced bronchoconstriction in this population because methacoline senistivity and exercise-induced bronchoconstriction are related.
