title: Effectiveness of a portable face mask in attenuating exercise-induced asthma.
abstract: Recent investigations have demonstrated that exercise-induced asthma (EIA) can be prevented by inspiration of warm, fully humidified air during exercise. We evaluated the success of a surgical face mask, used to retain warm, humidified, expired air, in preventing EIA in ten asthmatic children. subjects underwent six minutes of exercise on a treadmill during two sessions, in one session breathing room air and in another wearing a mask covering the nose and mouth. On the control day, average group forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and maximal midexpiratory flow rate (MMEF) decreased from the preexercise baseline value to 66% and 47% of baseline, respectively, at six minutes; on the mask day, FEV1 and MMEF were 91% and 82% of the baseline values (increased in all subjects). A simple face mask may be an inexpensive, nonpharmacologic alternative for alleviation of EIA.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001250:Asthma, Exercise-Induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008397:Masks / Q000592:standards*; D008450:Maximal Midexpiratory Flow Rate; D005082:Physical Exertion; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests