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Airway inflammation, cough and athlete quality of life in elite female cross‐country skiers: A longitudinal study
Author(s) -
Kennedy M. D.,
Davidson W. J.,
Wong L. E.,
Traves S. L.,
Leigh R.,
Eves N. D.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of medicine and science in sports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.575
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1600-0838
pISSN - 0905-7188
DOI - 10.1111/sms.12527
Subject(s) - medicine , sputum , physical therapy , inflammation , quality of life (healthcare) , airway , athletes , surgery , pathology , tuberculosis , nursing
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a season of cross‐country training and racing on airway inflammation, cough symptoms, and athlete quality of life in female skiers. Eighteen elite female skiers performed sputum induction and completed the L eicester C ough Q uestionnaire ( LCQ ) and the R ecovery‐Stress Q uestionnaire ( REST ‐Q) at three time points (T1 – M ay/ J un, T2 – O ct/ N ov, T3 – J an– M ar) during the year. No changes were observed between T1 and T2. However, an increase in sputum eosinophils and lymphocytes ( P < 0.05) and a significant change in all three domains of the LCQ were observed between T1 and T3 ( P < 0.05). A significant association was found between the total yearly hours of training and the change in the total cell count ( r 2 = 0.74; P = 0.006), and a number of other sputum cell counts between T1 and T3. No changes were observed for any domain of the REST ‐Q. The results of this study demonstrate that airway inflammation and cough symptoms are significantly increased in elite female cross‐country skiers across a year of training and racing. The increase in airway inflammation is related to the total amount of training and is worse during the winter months when athletes are training and racing in cold, dry air.