Respiratory morbidity and exercise-induced bronchoconstriction in children.

ABSTRACT

A sample of 99 children had lung function tests before and after exercise. Sixteen had a decrease in lung function after exercise (forced expiratory flow) of more than 20 per cent, which indicated an important degree of exerciseinduced bronchospasm. Review of the medical records for the total sample revealed that those with exercise-induced bronchospasm had a higher consultation rate for respiratory symptoms, while their consultation rate for non-respiratory symptoms was the same as the remainder of the sample. These findings suggest that bronchial lability may be a predisposing factor in some respiratory diseases.