Pulmonary function and airway responsiveness in young competitive swimmers.

Rationale: Strong physical activities are often associated with large lung volumes and relatively reduced flow, which may represent a physiological variant but also an obstructive abnormality. Competitive swimmers have also spirometric values even larger than other athletes, although they are at increased risk for asthma or airway hyperresponsiveness.

Aim: We aimed to investigate whether lung volumes increase with duration of swimming training and are related to an obstructive abnormality associated with airway hyperresponsiveness and asthma-like symptoms.