Unrecognized Exercise-Induced Bronchospasm in Adolescent Athletes

Sir.—I would like to commend Rupp et al¹ on a splendid study of the incidence of exercise-induced asthma in treadmill exercise among largely black inner-city athletes in Georgia undergoing preparticipation physical examinations. The authors allude to the importance of screening adolescents before they reach competitive collegiate or Olympic levels. The authors' work is based on the results of screening spirometries.

We have recently completed a study of almost 900 children, with a mean age of 12 years, in a private allergy and pediatric practice setting. We used results of free running tests and spirometry to compare peak expiratory flow. This comparison of free running test results and peak flow may be more practical in a primary care or private practice setting. Our population was largely an unselected general pediatric one, although high school students requiring preparticipation examinations and even patients with allergies were included for comparison purposes.