This umbrella review systematically examines pharmacological strategies for exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB), characterized by a transient airway narrowing post-exercise, often diagnosed by a ≥ 10% reduction in forced expiratory volume in 1 s. EIB is prevalent among elite athletes and individuals exposed to environmental triggers such as cold air and pollutants. Analyzing data from 10 systematic reviews, including 8 meta-analyses, evidence confirms the efficacy of treatments including β2-adrenoceptor (AR) agonists, muscarinic antagonists, inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRA), and mast-cell stabilizers. β2-AR agonists demonstrate significant protective effects despite concerns regarding long-term use, while combination therapies with ICS and LTRA provide additional benefits. A key proposal is the terminological distinction between EIB and "Exercise-Induced Asthma ATtack" (EIAAT), advocating for the use of EIAAT to identify asthma exacerbations during exercise in asthmatics and EIB characterized by bronchospasm in non-asthmatics, thus avoiding misdiagnosis in athletes and guiding appropriate management. The review highlights the promising role of ICS/formoterol in pre-exercise, as-needed, and Single Maintenance and Reliever Therapy (SMART) regimens, emphasizing the need for randomized controlled trials in athletes with EIB and EIAAT. Ensuring appropriate therapy access while maintaining integrity in competitive sports is pivotal, especially with evolving pharmacological options and anti-doping regulations.
This systematic review and meta-analysis (CRD420251006746) investigated the impact of inhaled β2-adrenoceptor (AR) agonists (IBA) with exemption according to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) 2025 list on athletic performance, respiratory, and cardiovascular outcomes. A key subgroup analysis focused on IBA administered within WADA 2025 permitted dose intervals. Findings indicate that IBA significantly improved sprint time by 0.30 s (95% CI 0.52-0.07) overall, and by 0.27 s (95% CI 0.50-0.05) in healthy subjects, with long-acting β2-AR agonists yielding a 0.49 s (95% CI 0.81-0.17) improvement. These sprint time enhancements persisted even at WADA-permitted doses. Blood lactate levels significantly increased by 0.67 mmol/L (95% CI 0.19-1.14) overall and by 0.65 mmol/L (95% CI 0.17-1.14) in healthy subjects, though this effect was not significant at WADA-permitted doses. IBA significantly improved forced expiratory volume in 1 s by 0.19 L (95% CI 0.14-0.23) and forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% by 0.40 L/s (95% CI 0.24-0.56), with lung function improvements confirmed at WADA-permitted doses. Heart rate significantly increased by 1.40 bpm (95% CI 0.32-2.48). IBA did not influence aerobic performance. When administered within WADA 2025 permitted doses, IBA can provide small but relevant gains in anaerobic performance in healthy individuals, while simultaneously offering therapeutic bronchodilation for athletes with asthma or exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. Dose restrictions are critical to minimize the risk of performance enhancement that exceeds therapeutic intent and to mitigate adverse effects. Further research is pivotal to ensure that anti-doping policies align with health standards and ethical considerations for all athletes.
Combined events are an Athletics discipline with specific and particular challenges for performance and health, supporting the interest of focused research on this discipline, despite concerning a small proportion of athletes. The study aim was to summarize and map the available scientific literature on performance and health of combined events to establish the current level of understanding and identify knowledge gaps that require further investigation. A scoping review was conducted searching peer-reviewed articles dealing with performance and/or health in combined events (i.e., pentathlon, heptathlon or decathlon) on the MEDLINE (via PubMed), EMBASE (via Ovid), Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases, from inception to October 13, 2025. In total, 111 articles were included, with 95.5% as primary research, 95.5% using quantitative approach, 22.5% with a level of evidence 1b and 48.6% 2b, and 56.8% with study aim(s) focused on combined events understanding and/or analyzing. 64.0% articles dealt with performance and 59.5% with health, including 23.4% dealing with both. Regarding performance, the majority of articles dealt with performance analysis/tactics/data management (56.3%), followed by physiology (21.1%), and nutrition (11.3%). Regarding health, the majority of articles dealt with injuries (62.1%), followed by physiology (22.7%), illnesses (18.2%), and nutrition (12.1%). These findings (i) can help to suggest some clinical implications for performance enhancement and health protection, and (ii) highlighted the need for continuing research on performance and/or health in combined events, preferably with prospective design, large athletes' sample sizes, focused on underrepresented populations (e.g., women, adolescents, Masters athletes), over one or more Athletics season.
Anabolic androgenic steroid (AAS) use is associated with various health risks, yet its impact on healthcare expenditures remains insufficiently explored. This nationwide register-based study examined direct healthcare costs among 1183 males sanctioned for AAS use in Denmark between 2006 and 2017, compared with 59 150 age- and sex-matched controls from the general population. Healthcare costs were calculated across primary care, hospital services, and prescription drugs, with up to 10 years of follow-up. AAS users had significantly higher total healthcare costs, with a mean excess of 3299 euros (EUR) per person (95% CI: 1857-4742; p < 0.0001) over the follow-up period, corresponding to approximately EUR 537 per AAS user per year. This represents a 45% increase over controls, whose average total costs were EUR 7393 per person. The cost difference was primarily driven by hospital care but was also evident in primary care and prescription medication use. Cumulative cost differences increased steadily over time and remained consistent across most diagnostic categories. AAS users were relatively young and otherwise expected to have low healthcare use, suggesting a notable health burden in this group. These findings add real-world evidence on the healthcare implications of AAS use and highlight a sustained cost difference between AAS users and controls over a prolonged period. Continued follow-up may be necessary to fully capture long-term costs, particularly as some complications may appear years after use.

