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Physical activity and bronchial hyperresponsiveness: European Community Respiratory Health Survey II
Rafea Shaaban1, Bénédicte Leynaert, David Soussan
1INSERM U700, Epidémiologie des Maladies Respiratoires, Faculté Xavier Bichat, BP 416, 16 rue Henri Huchard, 75018 Paris, France. shaaban@bichat.inserm.fr
Thorax
|November 24, 2006
Summary
Regular physical activity is strongly linked to a lower risk of bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR). Increased exercise frequency and duration are associated with reduced BHR prevalence, suggesting a protective effect.
Area of Science:
- Respiratory Medicine
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) is a key characteristic of asthma.
- Identifying BHR risk factors is crucial for understanding asthma etiology.
- The European Community Respiratory Health Survey II (ECRHS II) provided a large, multi-center dataset for this investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between physical activity levels and BHR in adults.
- To determine if physical activity is an independent risk factor for BHR.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 5158 participants aged 28-56.5 years from 24 centers in 11 countries.
- Data collected via questionnaires on physical activity (frequency and duration of exercise) and BHR testing.
- BHR defined as a ≥20% decrease in FEV1 post-saline challenge with ≤2 mg methacholine.
Main Results:
- Both higher frequency and longer duration of physical activity were significantly inversely associated with BHR.
- Prevalence of BHR decreased with increasing exercise frequency (14.5% for ≤1/week to 10.9% for ≥4/week).
- Adjusted odds ratios for BHR decreased with higher physical activity levels, indicating a protective effect.
Conclusions:
- Physical activity is strongly and independently associated with a reduced prevalence of BHR.
- Findings suggest that maintaining a physically active lifestyle may help prevent BHR.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the underlying biological mechanisms connecting physical activity and BHR.
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