Abstract
Educational aims
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To explain how to get more information out of an exercise challenge.
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To obtain knowledge about different exercise test protocols and ergometers.
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To obtain knowledge about the importance of assessing different physiological variables during exercise.
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To obtain knowledge about how different climatic conditions influence exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) and exercise capacity.
Summary Different test protocols are commonly used in the diagnosis of EIB and in the assessment of exercise capacity (). Recently one study has shown the possibility of combining assessment of EIB and into one EIB test protocol, even though the gold standard in assessment of is an incremental protocol. Additional and useful information about asthma can be obtained and differential diagnoses to EIB can be assessed by measuring different physiological variables during the EIB challenge. The following article will focus on the advantages of measuring exercise capacity during an EIB test, after a short discussion of different test protocols and ergometers.
- ©ERS 2010