Vigorous Exercise Can Cause Abnormal Pulmonary Function in Healthy Adolescents

Rationale: Although exercise-induced bronchoconstriction is more common in adolescents with asthma, it also manifests in healthy individuals without asthma. The steady-state exercise protocol is widely used and recommended by the American Thoracic Society (ATS) as a method to diagnose exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. Airway narrowing in response to exercise is thought to be related to airway wall dehydration secondary to hyperventilation. More rigorous exercise protocols may have a role in detecting exercise-induced bronchoconstriction in those who otherwise have a normal response to steady-state exercise challenge.Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the effect of two different exercise protocols—a constant work rate protocol and a progressive ramp protocol—on pulmonary function testing in healthy adolescents. We hypothesized that vigorous exercise protocols would lead to reductions in lung function in healthy adolescents.Methods: A total of 56 healthy adolescents (mean age, 15.2...