A2 Refereed review article in a scientific journal

Incidence of acute respiratory illnesses in athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis by a subgroup of the IOC consensus on 'acute respiratory illness in the athlete'




AuthorsDerman Wayne, Badenhorst Marelise, Eken Maaike Maria, Ezeiza-Gomez Josu, Fitzpatrick Jane, Gleeson Maree, Kunorozva Lovemore, Mjösund Katja, Mountjoy Margo, Sewry Nicola, Schwellnus Martin

PublisherBMJ PUBLISHING GROUP

Publication year2022

JournalBritish Journal of Sports Medicine

Journal name in sourceBRITISH JOURNAL OF SPORTS MEDICINE

Journal acronymBRIT J SPORT MED

Volume56

Issue11

First page 630

Last page640

Number of pages11

ISSN0306-3674

eISSN1473-0480

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2021-104737

Web address https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2022/03/07/bjsports-2021-104737

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/175011663


Abstract

Objective

To determine the incidence of acute respiratory illness (ARill) in athletes and by method of diagnosis, anatomical classification, ages, levels of performance and seasons.

Design

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Data sources

Electronic databases: PubMed-Medline, EbscoHost and Web of Science.

Eligibility criteria

Original research articles published between January 1990 and July 2020 in English reporting the incidence of ARill in athletes, at any level of performance (elite/non-elite), aged 15-65 years.

Results

Across all 124 studies (n=1 28 360 athletes), the incidence of ARill, estimated by dividing the number of cases by the total number of athlete days, was 4.7 (95% CI 3.9 to 5.7) per 1000 athlete days. In studies reporting acute respiratory infections (ARinf; suspected and confirmed) the incidence was 4.9 (95% CI 4.0 to 6.0), which was similar in studies reporting undiagnosed ARill (3.7; 95% CI 2.1 to 6.7). Incidences of 5.9 (95% CI 4.8 to 7.2) and 2.8 (95% CI 1.8 to 4.5) were found for studies reporting upper ARinf and general ARinf (upper or lower), respectively. The incidence of ARinf was similar across the different methods to diagnose ARinf. A higher incidence of ARinf was found in non-elite (8.7; 95% CI 6.1 to 12.5) vs elite athletes (4.2; 95% CI 3.3 to 5.3).

Summary/conclusions

These findings suggest: (1) the incidence of ARill equates to approximately 4.7 per athlete per year; (2) the incidence of upper ARinf was significantly higher than general (upper/lower) ARinf; (3) elite athletes have a lower incidence of ARinf than non-elite athletes; (4) if pathogen identification is not available, physicians can confidently use validated questionnaires and checklists to screen athletes for suspected ARinf. For future studies, we recommend that a clear diagnosis of ARill is reported.

PROSPERO registration number CRD42020160472.


Downloadable publication

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Last updated on 2024-26-11 at 15:30