Asthma, Rhinitis, Other Respiratory DiseasesAsthma deaths during sports: Report of a 7-year experience☆
Section snippets
Methods
The Temple Sports Asthma Research Program initially identified subjects who died during or immediately after a sporting or athletic event between July 1993 and December 2000, regardless of cause, by using the Burrell's Clipping Service. This news release service reviews newspapers from throughout the country by using specified search criteria and forwards the articles on request. We used the search terms asthma, sports, and death related to sports or asthma. This service reviews 1871 general
Results
We identified 263 potential asthma-related athletic deaths between July 1993 and December 2000. To ensure that only subjects who died of asthma during sports events were included, 202 (77%) were excluded for 1 or more of the following reasons: (1) death was not attributed to asthma at the time of autopsy; (2) the autopsy listed the cause of death as asthma, but concurrent cardiac or other disease was noted; (3) the subject's history or autopsy had signs, symptoms, or findings that could be
Discussion
There is little information concerning asthma death in association with sport, especially in the context of the competitive athlete. This paucity of data partially stems from a societal belief that athletes rarely become afflicted with a disease. This study highlights a previously unrecognized group of subjects who die of asthma, the competitive and noncompetitive athlete. Several reviews of asthma deaths, as well as a review of death in the competitive athlete, have not considered the
Acknowledgments
This work is in memory of Theodore C. Quedenfeld, MEd, whose passion and dedication have improved the health and care of children and athletes nationwide.
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Supported by an unrestricted educational grant from GlaxoSmithKline Inc, Triangle Park, NC.