TY - JOUR T1 - Exhaled nitric oxide and lung function in winter sports elite athletes JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 38 IS - Suppl 55 SP - p2142 AU - Samira Gasymova AU - Alexandr Ulianov AU - Lydia Nikitina AU - Fedor Petrovskiy Y1 - 2011/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/38/Suppl_55/p2142.abstract N2 - Background: Little is known about the role of nitric oxide (NO) in pathogenesis of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction and its association with lung function in athletes.Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate whether airway NO is associated with lung function in elite athletes of winter sports.Methods: A total of 86 elite athletes (biathlon, ski, ice hockey, snowboard) aged 14–35 were included in the study. FEV1, FVC, PEF (MasterScreen Pneumo, Viasys) were analyzed at the baseline and 1, 5, and 10 minutes after the exercise challenge test. NO was measured in the exhaled air (fractional exhaled NO (FeNO)) pre and between 1 and 5 min after the exercise using CLD 88 apparatus (EcoMedics). All tests were performed according to ATS/ERS recommendations before the competition phase.Results: 21% of athletes had a post exercise decrease in FEV1 of ≥ 10%. Baseline and post exercise FeNO levels were 15.1 ppb and 14.5 ppb, respectively. Most athletes had a post exercise decrease in FeNO (63.6% in males and 72.7% females). In athletes with the decreased post exercise FeNO level, the mean change was -26.8% from the baseline, in contrast to +70% increase in those who had a post exercise FeNO level unchanged or increased (p<0.01). We found the following correlations between (i) baseline FeNO and baseline absolute FEV1 (rs=0.41; p<0.01); (ii) post exercise FeNO and ΔFEV1% 1 min post exercise (rs=0.38; p=0.04); (iii) post exercise FeNO and ΔFEV1% 5 min post exercise (rs=0.58; p<0.01); (iv) post exercise FeNO and PEF% 5 min post exercise (rs= -0.56; p<0.01).Conclusion: The present data suggest a role of airway NO in lung function and in exercise induced bronchoconstriction in elite athletes. ER -