Exercise-induced Bronchospasm is transient airflow obstruction that results from exercise. Heat and water loss in the airways as a result of hyperventilation are thought to be the main factor in development of Exercise-induced Bronchospasm. This particular study sought to understand the relationship between cold weather and development of the condition. The study was completed in Erzurum, Turkey. From November to March, Erzurum has average daily temperatures that are either at freezing or below freezing. Many athletes in Turkey are drawn to this city because it has the best winter sports facilities in the country. The participants included 19 sedentary males and 20 male long distance runners.
All of the participants were screened for Exercise-induced Bronchospasm before testing began. None of them showed signs of the condition previously. The participants were all between 18-25 years old and were all male. The Exercise-induced Bronchospasm was tested for using spirometry, which essentially tests for pulmonary function. The spirometry was done pre and post exercise. The spirometry measured how much air they inhaled, how much they exhaled and also how quickly they exhaled. They were diagnosed if they had at least a 10% drop in how much they exhaled, or a 15% drop in how quickly they were exhaling in the middle of their exhale, or a 25% drop in how quickly they were exhaling at the very end of their exhale. The exercise that the participants did was a treadmill run at 80-90% of their submaximal heart rate plus another 5 minutes afterwards. 35% of the long distance runners were diagnosed with Exercise-induced Bronchospasm, while only 5% of the sedentary males were diagnosed.
Cold weather appears to be a risk factor for the development of Exercise-induced Bronchospasm. Other sports besides long distance running show higher percentages of the condition than non-athlete groups. The percentage of non-athletes withing the population is listed as 4-20%. In athletes, it is listed as 10-50%. Of athletes that participated in the 1998 Winter Olympic Games, 23% of them had the condition. One study showed that 30 out of 100 ice-skaters had the condition. Another study showed that 28 out of 99 cross-country skiers had the condition as well. Comparatively, another study revealed that 6% of warm-weather athletes had the condition. Essentially, cold weather is not the main contributing factor for developing the condition, but it certainly does increase the risk.
Uçok K, Dane S, Gökbel H, Akar S. Prevalence of exercise-induced bronchospasm in long distance runners trained in cold weather. Lung [serial online]. 2004;182(5):265-270.
EnviPhys 