[Methodological problems in the induction of exercise-induced asthma in atopic patients]

The considerable discrepancy in results reported by the literature on the question of exercise induced asthma (EIA) poses some methodological problems as regards the standardisation fo such tests. As the variability of the response depends to a great extent on the duration of the physical effort (and, to a smaller extent, on other quality features of the exercise), the importance of being able to deploy an effective, standardised control instrument, with characteristics of simplicity and easy repeatability, is evident. An exercise test with these features is proposed here and significant results in an early sample of ten patients suffering from atopical asthma are reported.