Acute respiratory infections hamper training and competition in cross-country skiers, especially in those with asthma

Rikhard Mäki-Heikkilä, Jussi Karjalainen, Jari Parkkari, Heini Huhtala, Maarit Valtonen, Lauri Lehtimäki

International Journal of Circumpolar Health · 2023

DOI: 10.1080/22423982.2023.2223359

Abstract

Respiratory infections hampered training and competition, especially in skiers with asthma. Those with asthma withdrew from competition more often (76.9% vs. 62.2%, p = 0.011). Individual infection duration: 5.0 vs. 4.0 days. Total absent days per season: 15 vs. 10.