Interesting Article reviews

Asthma, Airway Inflammation and Treatment in Elite Athletes
Sports Med 2009: 35 (7)
Iikka Helenius, Aki Lumme, and Tari Haahtela

This article discussed how highly trained athletes are exposed to cold air during winter training and other allergens all throughout the year and that one should switch to less irritating environments whenever possible. The point was strongly made that it is difficult to change the natural course of asthma in athletes by anti-inflammatory treatment. I found it very interesting that the type of exercise and training can cause specific type of bronchial symptoms, bronchial hyperresponsiveness and asthma in most elite athletes. They listed the most common endurance athletes as cross country skiers, swimmers, long-distance runners, all of which experience mild asthma at some point. Apparently, the risk of asthma is closely associated with atopy. Atopy is basically when a hypersensitivity reaction such as asthma occurs in a part of the body not in contact with the allergen.
They discussed various forms of medical treatment in use of various antiasthma drugs to treat exercise-induced bronchial symptoms. In one study, they found that 17% of 253 Finnish elite summer-sport athletes used asthma medication in some form of inhalation. The funny thing is that despite widespread use of antiasthma drugs by athletes, few controlled studies have been conducted on the effects of inhalers, bronchial responsiveness, and airway inflammation. The article then discussed various forms of studies that have actually taken place such as the use of inhaled b2-agonists and leukotriene antagonists. They also discussed the increase use of fish oils and fatty acids with fighting inflammation. Some common environmental risk factors for allergic athletes include pollen season, cold ambient air, cold air and pollutants in indoor ice arenas, swimming halls, and dust/allergens indoor arenas for track and field.


Eating Disorders in the Male Athletes
Sports Med 2006; 36 (1)
Antonia Baum

This article discussed eating disorders in male athletes in addition to how this involvement in athletics fosters this disorder. Apparently they are less prominent than in female athletes, and therefore in danger of being missed. The article then discuss how to treat these disorders and what could be done. I learned a good new word: aetiology. They said that the participation in sports could contribute to the aetiology of eating disorder, but the opposite could also be true. The article then discussed different cases, in this following order: psychoeducation of athletes, their families, coaches and trainers, and other essential cases. I found it interesting that counseling an athlete to pursue a sport appropriate to his body type or to leave a sport behind altogether can be an important treatment. The point was also made that treatment can be structured using a biopyschosocial approach, and all appropriate modalities of therapy, including individual, family and group, as well as psychopharmacotherapy, which I do not exactly understand, but seems like a big word and important.
This article stated that eating disorders are an underrecognised problem in male athletes. There are some sports with particular vulnerability, including sports with an emphasis on asthetics, sports where low body fat is advantageous, and sports where you have to make weight for competition. Apparently, anabolic steroids also make a big difference in the disordered body image of male athletes. It seems that the best treatment is the biopsychosocial approach, where you involve friends, family, coaches, trainers, etc. The article concluded that future research was required to more firmly establish the reason and solution for eating disorders and behaviors. A delineation of sex differences in eating disorders is needed in both athletes and non-athletes. Interesting read, but never came to any great conclusion.



Wilderness Medicine
David A. Townes
Division of Emergency Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine



The contents of this paper dealt with strategies for provision of medical support for adventure racing. I was previously not aware of such activities, but this article claims it is growing more popular. The idea is that in this multisporting, or adventure racing, athletes tend to perform multiple disciplines over a course in wilderness terrain. These can include hiking, trail running, mountain biking, cave spelunking, boating, and mountaineering. These races can apparently last up to 6 hours. The point of this paper is that presently there are no formal guidelines and small amount of literature to help with medical support plans during these events. This is probably due to lack of popularity, but that does not mean it should not be taken care of. The article provides an introduction to methods in providing provisions and medical support for these so called adventure races, since during these activities, it is necessary to address a wide variety of illnesses, and injuries. They stated that foot-related problems are the most common reasons for athletes to require medical attention during these events.
Since these races require utter rigor and rigid bodies, this paper also talked about the controversies involved in the provision for medical support during these events. Obviously, you don’t want your doctor to win the race, and if you are offered assistance, perhaps some form of a penalty should be addressed. The paper offered various penalities. Penalities included removal of the athlete from the event for medical reasons, and they also expounded the logistics of medical support communication, and liabilities. I at first was unclear as to the purpose of this and how useful it would prove, but as I read the article I realized that the information would be useful to medical directors of future adventure events. Event medicine is a new area that should always be addressed and discussed, especially when winning is involved.