Abstract
Asthma has recently become more prevalent, more severe, and more deadly. Approximately 4500 individuals die from asthma annually in the United States, an unacceptable number for a condition that can be managed effectively. Sudden death with exercise may result from a variety of causes, including previously unrecognized cardiac conditions. Asthma has also been recognized as a cause of death in association with sports. Recent data indicate those who suffer from mild to moderate asthma are also at risk for asthma fatality. The absolute magnitude of the increase in risk of death from asthma during sports, however, is very small. For this reason, individuals with asthma should not be discouraged from active participation in sports. Rather, this should reinforce the message that asthma is a condition that may be potentially serious, but can, and should be, well controlled with proper management.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Beasley, C. R. W., Pearce, N. E., Crane, J. (1998) Worldwide trends in asthma mortality during the twentieth century, in Fatal Asthma, Lung Biology in Health Disease Series, Lenfant, C. and Sheffer, A., eds. New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc., pp. 13–30.
Stolley, P. D. and Schinnar, R. (1978), Prev. Med. 7, 319–338.
Crane, J., Pearce, N., Flatt, A., et al. (1989), Lancet 1, 917–922.
Beasley, R., Pearce, N., Crane, J., and Burgess, C. (1999), J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 103, S18-S30.
McFadden, E. R. and Warren, E. L. (1997), Ann. Intern. Med. 127, 142–147.
Garrett, J., Kolbe, J., Richards, G., Whitlock, T., and Rea, H. (1995), Thorax 50, 303–311.
Mannino, D. M., Homa, D. M., Pertkowski, C. A., et al. (1998), MMWR 47, 1–27.
Peat, J. K., van den Berg, R. H., Green, W. F., Mellis, C. M., Leeder, S. R., and Woolcock, A. J. (1994), BMJ 308, 1591–1596.
Haahtela, T., Lindholm, H., Bjorksten, F., Koskenvuo, K., and Laitinen, L. A. (1990), BMJ 301, 266–268.
Ninan, T. K. and Russell, G. (1992), BMJ 304, 873–875.
Asher, M. I., Pattemore, P. K., Harrison, A. C., Mitchell, E. A., Rea, H. H., and Stewart, A. W. (1988), Am. Rev. Resp. Dis. 138, 524–529.
Sears, M. R., Jones, D. T., and Holdaway, M. D. (1986), Thorax 41, 283–291.
Fitzgerald, J. M., Sears, M. R., and Roberts, R. S. (1988), Am. Rev. Resp. Dis. 138, 285.
Lang, D. M. and Polansky, M. (1994), N. Engl. J. Med. 331, 1542–1547.
Carr, W., Zeitel, L., and Weiss, K. (1992), Am. J. Public Health 82, 59–65.
Grant, E. N., Lyttle, C. S., Weiss, K. B. (2000), Am. J. Public Health 90, 1923–1925.
Sly, R. M. (2000), Ann. Allergy Asthma Immunol. 85, 121–127.
Wilson, J. W. and Jenkins, C. R. (1996), Med. J. Aust. 164, 391–393.
Campbell, M. J., Cogman, G. R., Holgate, S. T., and Johnston, S. L. (1997), Br. Med. J. 314, 1439–1441.
Goldman, M., Rachmiel, M., Gendler, I., and Katz, Y. (2000), J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 105, 71–74.
Suissa, S., Ernst, P., Benayoun, S., Baltzan, M., and Cai, B. (2000), N. Engl. J. Med. 343, 332–336.
Ernst, P., Spitzer, W. O., Suissa, S., et al. (1992), JAMA 268, 3462–3464.
Strunk, R. C., Mrazek, D. A., and Wolfson-Fuhrman, G. S. (1985), JAMA 254, 1193–1198.
Boulet, L. P., Deschesnes, F., Turcotte, H., Gignac, F. (1991), J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 88, 838–846.
Rea, H. H., Scragg, R., Jackson, R., Beaglehole, R., Fenwick, J., and Sutherland, D. C. (1986), Thorax 41, 833–839.
Spitzer, W. O., Suissa, S., Ernst, P., et al. (1992), N. Engl. J. Med. 326, 501–506.
Kikuchi, Y., Okabe, S., Tamura, G., et al. (1994), N. Engl. J. Med. 330, 1329–1334.
Crane, J., Pearce, N., Burgess, C., Woodman, K., Robson, B., and Beasley, R. (1992), Int. J. Epidemiol. 21, 737–744.
Miller, T. P., Greenberger, P. A., and Patterson, R. (1992), Chest 102, 515–518.
Lang, D. M. (1997), Ann. Allergy Asthma Immunol. 78, 333.
Spector, S., et al. (1995), J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 96, 707–869.
Robertson, C. F., Rubinfeld, A. R., and Bowes, G. (1990), Med. J. Aust. 152, 511.
Campbell, S., Hood, I., Ryan, D., Biedrzycki, L., and Mirchandani, H. (1990), JFSCA 35, 356.
Sur, S., Crotty, T. B., Kephart, G. M., et al. (1993), Am. Rev. Resp. Dis. 148, 713.
Wasserfallen, J., Schaller, M., Feihl, F., and Perret, C. H. (1990), Am. Rev. Resp. Dis. 142, 108.
Capocci-Tolomeo, P., Polansky, M., Sherman, M., and Lang, D. (2003), J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 109, S120.
Kinsey, T. E. (1981), Br. J. Sports Med. 15, 285,286.
Estes, M. N. A. (1995), N. Engl. J. Med. 333, 380,381.
Kaplan, J. A., Karolfsky, P. S., and Volturo, G. A. (1993), J. Trauma 34, 151–153.
Huikuru, H. V., Catellanos, A., and Myerburg, R. (2001), N. Engl. J. Med. 345, 1473–1482.
Becker, J. M., Rogers, J., Rossini, G., Mirchandani, H., and D’Alonza, G. E. (2004), J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 113, 264–267.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lang, D.M. Asthma deaths and the athlete. Clinic Rev Allerg Immunol 29, 125–129 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1385/CRIAI:29:2:125
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/CRIAI:29:2:125