(1003) Allergy Questionnaire for Athletes Plus NOSE in Screening Respiratory Symptoms in Young Athletes

Introduction: Respiratory diseases and allergic sensitization are reported to occur in athletes with a particularly high incidence, but are often overlooked. Our aim is to determine the prevalence and impact of respiratory and allergic symptoms in both athletes and the non-active population.

Methods: A cross-sectional study using a self-completed online questionnaire was conducted. Patients were recruited between November and December 2023. The survey consisted of a combination of the Allergy Questionnaire for Athletes (AQUA) and Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) questionnaires. “Athletes” were defined as individuals undertaking regular participation in 4 hours or more of exercise per week in a sports competition club. “Non-athletes” controls were defined as those who practice less than 4 hours of exercise per week. Exclusion criteria were: age less than 12 or more than 18 years, and incomplete data in the questionnaire. Of a total of 436 respondents, only 407 were included in the study.

Results: In the study population (N= 407), there were 290 athletes and 117 “non-athletes” controls. The athletes were predominantly male (63.1%) with a median age of 15.2 ± 1.7 years. Both groups match in terms of age and sex distribution. Upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) were reported recurrent in 71 athletes, compared to 14 non-active controls, which represents a significant difference between the groups (p = 0.0049). More than 15% of athletes missed training more than 3 times a year due to URTI. There were no significant difference (p = 0.1589) in the number of athletes who reported nasal symptoms (32.8%) compared to non-athletes (25.7%) in AQUA; however athletes have significantly higher scores on the NOSE questionnaire (p = 0.0001). At least one allergic disease was diagnosed in 91 athletes, compared to 35 non-athletes, with no significant differences between the groups (p = 0.5776).

Conclusions: AQUA plus NOSE questionnaires should be considered for screening respiratory  symptoms in young athletes.