Ample use of physician-prescribed medications in Finnish elite athletes.
The present study aimed at determining the use of physician-prescribed medication in a large number of elite athletes compared with a representative control sample of the general population. Of all the athletes (N = 494) financially supported by the National Olympic Committee, 446 completed a structured questionnaire (response rate 90.3 %) in 2002. A control group (N = 1503, response rate 80.1 %) comprised an age-matched sample from the population-based study collected by the National Public Health Institute. Any prescribed medication was used by 34.5 % of the athletes and 24.9 % of the controls during the past seven days. The most frequently reported physician-prescribed medications among athletes during the previous seven days were anti-allergic medicines (12.6 % of the respondents), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs; 8.1 %), anti-asthmatic medicines (7.0 %), and oral antibiotics (2.7 %). The adjusted odds ratios (95 % CI) for the physician-prescribed medications used during the previous seven days was 2.42 (1.69 - 3.46), 3.63 (2.25 - 5.84), 3.42 (2.05 - 5.70), and 2.15 (1.03 - 4.45) for use of anti-allergic medication, NSAIDs, anti-asthmatic medication, and oral antibiotics, respectively, in the athletes compared with controls. Every fifth athlete reported some NSAID-related adverse effect. In conclusion, the athletes used NSAIDs, antibiotics, anti-asthmatic and anti-allergic medication significantly more often than a representative sample of age-matched controls. All these medicines have potential adverse effects that may have a deleterious impact on the maximum exercise performance of elite athletes. Adverse effects were commonly reported in connection with NSAID use.
Alaranta
A
A
Division of Social Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. antti.alaranta@helsinki.fi
Alaranta
H
H
Heliövaara
M
M
Airaksinen
M
M
Helenius
I
I
D000328:Adult; D018926:Anti-Allergic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013177:Sports
D018926:Anti-Allergic Agents; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal