The prevalence of exercise-induced bronchospasm among US Army recruits andits effects on physical performance

Study objectives: To measure the prevalence of exercise-induced bronchospas m (EIB) and to determine its effect on the physical performance response to training in otherwise healthy young adults. Design: Observational, retrospective study, Setting: Fort Jackson, SC, May to July 1998, Participants: One hundred thirty-seven ethnically diverse US Army recruits undergoing an 8-week Army basic training course. Measurements and results: Subjects underwent exercise challenge testing at the end of basic training to evaluate for EIB (defined as a decrease in FEV 1 of greater than or equal to 15%, 1 or 10 min after running to peak oxygen uptake on a treadmill), Those subjects who were unable to run to peak oxyg en uptake, or who were unable to perform two baseline FEV1 maneuvers the re sults of which were within 5% of each other, were I excluded from analysis. We measured peak oxygen uptake on a treadmill and the scores achieved on t he components of the US Army physical fitness test (APFT), Of 137 subjects, 121 (58 men and 63 women) met our inclusion criteria. Fight subjects (7%) had EIB, Subjects who experienced EIB and unaffected control subjects both showed statistically significant gains in performance on the APFT events du ring basic training. At the end of basic training, peak oxygen uptake level s and APFT event scores were not significantly different between subjects w ith EIB and unaffected control subjects. Conclusions: Seven percent of the US Army recruits who were tested had EIB, but this did not hinder their physical performance gains during basic trai ning. EIB per se should not be an absolute reason to exclude individuals fr om employment in jobs with heavy physical demands.