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Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, otherwise known as exercise-induced bronchoconstriction with asthma or without asthma, is an acute airway narrowing that occurs as a result of exercise and can occur in patients with asthma. A panel of members from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Sports, Exercise, & Fitness Committee reviewed the diagnosis and management of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction in athletes of all skill levels including recreational athletes, high school and college athletes, and professional athletes. A special emphasis was placed on the recommendations and regulations set forth by professional athletic organizations after a detailed review of their collective bargaining agreements, substance abuse policies, antidoping program manuals, and the World Anti-Doping Agency antidoping code. The recommendations in this review are based on currently available evidence in addition to providing guidance for athletes of all skill levels as well as their treating physicians to better understand which pharmaceutical and nonpharmaceutical management options are appropriate as well as which medications are permitted or prohibited, and the proper documentation required to remain compliant., (Copyright © 2020 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate how changes to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) guidelines on asthma medication requests have impacted the management of asthmatic athletes in Portugal., Design: Retrospective analysis of asthma medication requests submitted in 2008 to 2010., Setting: Portuguese Anti-Doping Authority database., Participants: Athletes requesting the use of inhaled corticosteroids and/or β2-agonists., Independent Variables: Demographic, therapeutic, and diagnostic test data., Main Outcome Measures: Yearly changes in number of asthma medication requests and diagnostic procedures., Results: We analyzed 326 requests: 173 abbreviated Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs) in 2008 (objective tests not required), 9 Declaration of Use (DoU) and 76 TUEs in 2009, and 39 DoU and 29 TUEs in 2010. Spirometry was performed in 87% and 37% of athletes in 2009 and 2010, respectively; the corresponding figures for bronchoprovocation were 59% and 16%, almost all positive in both years., Conclusions: Applications for inhaler use have decreased by approximately half since objective asthma testing became mandatory. Our findings show that WADA guidelines have an impact on asthmatic athletes care: In 2009 a more rigorous screening was possible, leading to withdrawal of unnecessary medication. Constant changes, however, jeopardize this achievement and nowadays introduce safety issues stemming from the unsupervised use of inhaled β2-agonists.

Monitoring antibiotic consumption is a valuable tool which has been increasingly used in the last years due to the current concern with the emergence of resistant microbial strains. The present study aimed at monitoring antibiotic consumption, evaluating the economic impact of hospital antibiotic prescription and assessing the relationship between the prescribed antibiotics and the indications for either prophylactic or therapeutic use. This was a longitudinal pilot-study for which data were collected in six privately managed public hospital units during the month of May 2004, with a resulting sample of 1,122 admitted patients. We observed a prescription incidence rate of 76.9%, corresponding to a total of 1,154 dispensed antimicrobials, with a mean 71.2% of these antimicrobials being dispensed for the prophylaxis of surgical site infection (SSI). The mean cost of antibiotic courses was higher in cases of "suspected infection" (9.09 euro) or "confirmed infection" (8.74 euro) and lower in cases of "prophylaxis" (5.67 euro), a finding which is explained by the shorter mean duration of the later. There was a considerable variation among the different hospital units regarding the type of antibiotic compound that was used for SSI prophylaxis, with a mean duration of antibiotic use of 2.61 days for this indication and about half of the prophylactic regimens lasting longer than 24 hours, a fact that suggests an insufficient observation of the current recommendations for antibiotic use in SSI prophylaxis. This finding indicates the need for an investigation on the actual existence of local recommendations for SSI prophylaxis in individual hospital units and also for the evaluation of the compliance of practicing surgeons with eventually existing recommendations.