Urticaria and anaphylaxis in endurance and ultra-endurance athletes: a proposal for pre-race risk assessment

Urticaria and anaphylaxis in endurance and ultra-endurance athletes: a proposal for pre-race risk assessment

Over the past three decades, there has been a significant rise in the participation in endurance and ultra-endurance events (6 hours), including ultra-marathons, ultra-triathlons, ultra-cycling races, ultra-distance swimming, and cross-country skiing. Most ultraendurance athletes share an attitude to their participation in ultraendurance events as a life experience and a personal achievementSuch activities have been gaining a popularity among the general public in whom the prevalence of allergy is increasing.Urticaria is an acute or chronic skin condition characterized by presence of hives, redness and itch. In athletes it may be triggered by various factors, with cold-induced urticaria being the most common subtype. Exercis-induced urticaria may lead to anaphylaxis – a rare but life-threatening syndrome occurring during physical activity.Sudden deaths do happen during endurance sports events. Therefore, health-related issues during such activity are highly important for athletes‘ safety. Cardiovascular disorders are the most common reason for exercise-related sudden deaths, whereas anaphylaxis is most likely underestimated and underdiagnosed in this setting. The rate of non-fatal allergic reactions reactions that may limit sports perfomance is even less studied.In this Task Force, we would like to raise the awareness of allergies in endurance/ultra-endurance athletes and to develop a pre-race risk assessment algorithm to increase athletes‘ safety.

WG Allergy, Asthma & Sports (Asthma Section)

Chair: Elena Borzova
Secretary: Marcin Kurowski