EXERCISE-INDUCED BRONCHOCONSTRICTION BY ETHNICITY AND PRESENCE OF ASTHMA IN BRITISH 9 YEAR OLDS

Background - The prevalence of exercise induced bronchoconstriction am ong British children by ethnicity has not been studied. Methods - Peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) was measured before and after an exercise challenge test using a cycle ergometer in 593 nine year olds from Sco ttish and inner city English schools. Logistic regression analysis was carried out to assess the association between changes in PEFR with ex ercise by reported asthma, ethnicity, and sex. Results - The probabili ty of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction was greater among the asthm atics than in either the children without asthma attacks or wheeze, or in the children with only wheeze (p <0.01). Asian children were 3.6 t imes more likely to have exercise-induced bronchoconstriction than whi te inner city children, and also were more likely to have exercise-ind uced bronchoconstriction than those from the other ethnic groups (p <0 .01). Conclusion - Exercise challenge can assess the prevalence of ast hma in the community and detect under-reporting of asthma in ethnic mi norities.