Abstract des Autors

Anti-leukotriene therapy represents a new principle in asthma treatment. As elite athletes can have asthma, this double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised cross-over study investigated the effect of 10 mg oral montelukast, a specific and potent cysteinyl leukotriene receptor antagonist, on physiological responses to submaximal and maximal aerobic exercise at -15øC in 14 non-asthmatic highly trained endurance male athletes (maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) >70 ml/kg/min). Heart rate, capillary blood lactate, minute ventilation with tidal volume and breathing frequency, respiratory exchange ratio and oxygen uptake were measured during the warm-up run of 10 min at 50%, runs of 10 min at 90% and 5 min at 80% VO2max, and a timed run to exhaustion. Spirometry was performed at baseline, at four hours after tablet ingestion, after warm-up and exercise at 80% VO2max, and in the post exercise period. Compared to placebo, montelukast did not increase baseline FEV1, have a beneficial effect on physiological performance variables, or increase the mean(SD) running time to exhaustion (montelukast: 332.3(45.8) s, placebo: 340.1(53.3) s, P=0.22). These findings do not suggest the need for disallowing the use of this drug by asthmatic athletes. Verf.-Referat