Self-reported asthma and allergies in top athletes compared to the general population - results of the German part of the GA2LEN-Olympic study 2008.

Background Prevalence of asthma and allergies in top athletes is
high. However, most previous studies did not include a general
population comparison group. We aimed to compare the prevalence of
asthma, allergies and medical treatment in different groups of
German top athletes to the general population. Methods Prior to the
2008 Summer Olympic Games, 291 German candidates for participation
(65%) completed a questionnaire on respiratory and allergic
symptoms. Results were compared to those of a general population
study in Germany (n = 2425, response 68%). Furthermore,
associations between types of sports and the self-reported outcomes
were calculated. All models were adjusted for age, sex, level of
education and smoking. Results Athletes reported significantly more
doctors' diagnosed asthma (17% vs. 7%), more current use of asthma
medication (10% vs. 4%) and allergic rhinitis (25% vs. 17%)
compared to the general population. After adjustment, top athletes
only had an increased Odds Ratio for doctor's diagnosed asthma (OR:
1.6; 95% CI 1.1-2.5). Compared to the general population, athletes
in endurance sports had an increased OR for doctor's diagnosed
asthma (2.4; 1.5-3.8) and current use of asthma medication (1.8;
1.0-3.4). In this group, current wheeze was increased when use of
asthma medication was taken into account (1.8; 1.1-2.8). For other
groups of athletes, no significantly increased ORs were observed.
Conclusions Compared to the general population, an increased risk
of asthma diagnosis and treatment was shown for athletes involved
in endurance sports. This might be due to a better medical
surveillance and treatment of these athletes.