EFFECT OF INTENSIVE EXERCISE ON LUNG VOLUMES: ATHLETE VERSUS NON-ATHLETE CHILDREN

Abstract

Background: Age, sex, height, weight, ethnicity, smoking habits, physical fitness, exercise, and environmental conditions can all influence spirometry results. Objective of this study was to find out the spirometry lung volumes among athlete children and their comparison with non-athlete children. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out with children and adolescents aged 7–18 years from April to October 2021. A modified version of The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) Questionnaire 17 was used. Height, weight and body measurements were recorded. Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume in 1^st second (FEV₁), FEV₁/FVC, Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR), Forced Expiratory Flow between 25% and 75% expired volume (FEF_25–75%) were measured. Data analysis was done on SPSS-20. Results: The FVC, FEV₁, FEV₁/FVC ratio, PEF, and FEF_25–75% were 2.24±0.75, 2.06±0.73, 93.01±4.62, 233.3±69.9 and 2.72±1.1 respectively. There was a direct increase in lung volumes with age from children to adolescent and were more among athletes as compared to non-athletes. Mann-Whitney U test showed normal distribution of all pulmonary functions variables including FVC, FEV₁, PEFR, and FEF_25–75% among athletes as well as non-athletes. The independent t-test reported a significant variation of all pulmonary function variables among athletes and non-athletes at a confidence interval of 95% (p?0.000). Conclusion: Age and physical exercise are important factors influencing spirometry reference values and therefore, they should be considered when using spirometry. The physical exercise, particularly intensive exercise in athletes improves lung volumes and should be encouraged in young children.

Pak J Physiol 2022;8(4):7?10