title: Medication and Supplement Use in Disability Football World Championships.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Individuals with an impairment comprise more than 15% of the world's population, many of whom can benefit greatly from participation in sport. The provision of medical services in disability sport is a challenging area with a lack of scientific evidence. Given the positive impact that sport can have on the people with an impairment, it is vital that measures are taken to better understand the medical issues posed by disability sport. It is well established that medications and supplements are overused in sport, particularly within professional football, but there is no current evidence on medication or supplement use in elite disability football.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine and describe the use of medication and supplements in disability football, before and during international tournaments, and to identify the profile of substances used by category.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective, descriptive, cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  International Blind Sport Association Football World Cup 2015 and the International Federation of Cerebral Palsy Football World Cup 2015.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred forty-two elite-level disability footballers, classified with B1 visual impairment or cerebral palsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Team clinicians were asked to document all medication and supplements taken in the 48 hours before each match.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This study recorded the use of 1648 substances in 242 players, with more than one half (53.1%) classified as supplements. There was an overall rate of 1.26 substances used per player per match and a medication use rate of 0.59 medications per player per match. Seventy percent (170/242) of players reported using at least one substance per tournament, with 57.9% (140/242) using at least one prescribed medication (63.6% of players at International Blind Sports Association World Games and 57.7% of players at International Federation of Cerebral Palsy World Cup). The most commonly prescribed category of medications was nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, representing 39.3% of all reported medications.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study highlights the potential overuse of medication and supplements in disability football, particularly in the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. These trends are comparable to previous research in Fédération Internationale de Football Association World Cup competitions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Not applicable.
authors.affiliation: The FA Centre for Disability Football Research, St. George's Park, Burton-upon-Trent, DE13 9PD, United Kingdom; Institute of Sport, Exercise & Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom(∗). Electronic address: Daniel.Broman@thefa.com.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Broman
authors.affiliation: The FA Centre for Disability Football Research, St. George's Park, Burton-upon-Trent, United Kingdom; Department of Physiotherapy, Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Poole, Dorset, United Kingdom(†).
authors.forename: Osman Hassan
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: Division of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland; FIFA Medical Assessment and Research Center (F-MARC), Schulthess Clinic, Zurich, Switzerland(‡).
authors.forename: Philippe M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Tscholl
authors.affiliation: The FA Centre for Disability Football Research, St. George's Park, Burton-upon-Trent, United Kingdom; Institute of Sport, Exercise & Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Fortius Clinic, London, United Kingdom(§).
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Weiler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055815:Young Adult; D000846:Anniversaries and Special Events; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000008:administration & dosage; D054874:Athletic Performance; D001993:Bronchodilator Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D015331:Cohort Studies; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006633:Histamine Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage; D038622:Internationality; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012916:Soccer
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D001993:Bronchodilator Agents; D006633:Histamine Antagonists