title: Epidemlology of exercise-related transient abdominal pain at the Sydney City to Surf community run.
abstract: A questionnaire was administered to 848 participants (76% runners, 24% walkers) at the conclusion of the 14 km City to Surf community run in order to investigate their experience of exercise-related transient abdominal pain (ETAP). Twenty-seven percent of respondents reported experiencing ETAP during the event, with the condition reported more frequently (p< 0.01) by runners (30%) than walkers (16%). ETAP was mostly described as well-localised (88%) and of an aching (25%), sharp (22%) or cramping (22%) sensation. The most commonly-reported sites of the pain were the right (46%) and left lumbar (23%) regions of the abdomen. Forty-two percent of the respondents who experienced ETAP reported that the pain was detrimental to their performance. Reports of ETAP decreased with age (r= -0.23, p< 0.01) but were unrelated to gender, body mass index or the time taken to complete the event. Among respondents who ran, those who consumed a large mass of food relative to body weight in the time interval 1-2 hr before the event were more likely to develop symptoms of ETAP (p < 0.05). The nutritional content of the pre-event meal did not influence the experience of ETAP. Sufferers of ETAP were more likely to experience nausea (r = 0.12, p< 0.01) and report shoulder tip pain (r= 0.14, p< 0.01). The results indicate that ETAP is a commonly experienced problem and provide insights into the cause of the complaint.
authors.affiliation: Avondale Centre for Exercise Sciences, Faculty of Lifestyle Education, Avondale College, Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Morton
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Callister
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009120:Muscle Cramp / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012420:Running / Q000502:physiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*