EXERCISE INDUCED BRONCHOSPASM IN A GROUP OF HEALTHY EGYPTIAN SCHOOL CHILDREN

Abstract

Exercise induced bronchoconstriction (EIB)is defined as the transient narrowing of the lower airways followingvigorous exercise. EIB may be observed in patients havingornot havingchronic asthma based on spirometry.Although itis highly preventable, it is still underrecognized and affectsquality of life. Diagnosis is based ondetailed history including assessment of triggers for asthma, symptoms suggestive of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction such as wheezing, shortness of breath, dyspnea, cough, or chest tightness during or postexercise and confirmed by measuring pulmonary functionsmainly FEV1 percentage. Significant decrease in (FEV1) after exercise indicates presence of bronchospasm. Typically, EIB begins after several minutes of vigorous physical activity and reaches its peak in five to 10 minutes. Theaim of this study was to assess the occurance of exercise induced bronchospasm in a group of apparently healthy Egyptian school children, some risk factors for EIB was also studied. Hundred apparently healthy children were selected randomly from the outpatient clinic at Ain Shams University Children hospital; they were (48) males and (52) females. their ages were ranging from 6 to 12 years with a mean age of 8.2ys. All children were subjected to pre-test questionnaire involving full medical history. Through clinical examination including chest examination was done. Pre-exercise assessment of forced expiratory volume in 1STsecond (FEV1) then the child was asked to exercise on a running treadmill according to Bruce treadmill protocol till reaching the target heart rate. FEV1 was measured every 10 minutes for 30 minutes and then compared with the baseline measurements. Any drop from the baseline that is greater than or equal to 10%, in any post exercise measurement, indicates exercise induced bronchospasm. • In this study EIB was recorded in 39 % of the studied group (33%showed mild decrease in FEV1 % of predictedwhile 6%showed moderate decrease in FEV1 %. • EIB is significantly more common among females than males as it was recorded in (38.5%) in males & in (61.5%) in females (with p < 0.05). • There was significantcorrelation between EIB & positive family history of bronchial asthma & presence of otheratopies, As 33.33 percent of patients with EIB showed