Last update:
   19-Nov-2012
 

Arch Hellen Med, 29(5), September-October 2012, 592-598

ORIGINAL PAPER

Spirometric differences between athletes and non-athletes compared to predicted values in healthy Greeks aged 20−45 years

P. Myrianthefs, I. Grammatopoulou, A. Gavala, G. Baltopoulos
Intensive Care Unit, Faculty of Nursing, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens,"Aghioi Anargyroi" General Hospital, Athens, Greece

OBJECTIVE To compare spirometric measurements in athletes and non-athletes to predicted values.

METHOD Healthy athletes and non-athlete volunteers were tested by spirometry using an American Thoracic Society/ European Respiratory Society (ATS/ERS) approved spirometer, the Schiller SPIROVIT SP-1 (Schiller, Switzerland), and performed following ATS/ERS Task Force recommendations. Comparisons between predicted and measured values were performed using the repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) test.

RESULTS The study included 296 healthy volunteers, 168 of whom were athletes and 128 non-athletes. Of the athletes, 104 were men aged 27.2±0.7 years, with height 182.2±0.9 cm and weight 81.9±1.3 kg, and 64 were females, aged 26.6±0.7 years, with height 171.3±0.9 cm and weight 64.1±1.2 kg. The male athletes were volleyball players (13), basketball players (28), football players (28) and swimmers (35), with a mean duration of athletic activity of 11.8±6 years. The female athletes were volleyball players (20), basketball players (22) and swimmers (20), with a mean duration of athletic activity of 11.8±6 years. Of the 128 non-athletes, 68 were men aged 33.8±0.9 years, with height 179.1±0.8 cm and weight 87.9±1.5 kg, and 60 were women, aged 31.9±1.1 years, with height 165.0±0.9 cm and weight 64.9±1.3 kg. In the athletes, the spirometric values forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) were significantly higher than the predicted values in both men and women (p<0.0001). Among the non-athletes, only in the women were the FVC values significantly higher (p<0.002) than the predicted values. The FEV1/FVC ratio was found significantly higher (p<0.002) in all groups compared to the predicted values, except for the male athletes.

CONCLUSIONS Greek athletes have significantly higher spirometric values compared to predicted values and thus there is a need for careful evaluation of spirometry when athletes attend physicians with respiratory symptoms.

Key words: Athletes, Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), Forced vital capacity (FVC), Spirometry.

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