Protective effects of repeated short sprints in exercise-induced asthma.

Many asthmatic patients demonstrate bronchial lability with a six-minute period of exercise, which is characterised by an initial bronchodilatation followed by bronchoconstriction. This early bronchodilatation response has been further analysed by investigation of the effects of repeated 30-second sprints before and after a six-minute run. It was found that these repeated short sprints did not induce bronchoconstriction, resulted in less bronchoconstriction after a subsequent six-minute run, and caused bronchodilatation if exercise-induced bronchoconstriction was present.

Upper and lower airway hyperreactivity in recurrent croup.

Seventeen children with recurrent croup, who had their last episode within the previous 12 months, were evaluated clinically by allergy skin tests, pulmonary function tests, and a histamine inhalation challengae. Fourteen showed airway hyperreactivity. Flow-volume loops were obtained after a positive histamine response and compared with post histamine tracings of children with asthma and health control subjects.