Introduction: In recent years mountain sports have become very popular in the young and the elderly. In the Alps, the number of tourists visiting altitudes above 2000 m is estimated at about 40 million people per year including elderly often suffering from cardiovascular diseases and treated by cardiovascular drugs (1,3). In a pilot project we found hints that beta blockers may influence cardiovascular responses to exercise during acute altitude exposure (2311m). Furthermore the prevalence of beta-blocker intake among hikers over the age of 35 was 7% (n=329) (2). Despite the necessity of epidemiological and physiological baseline information, little information on this topic is available. Therefore the goal of this study was to collect data on the frequency of skiers and hikers using beta blockers due to cardiovascular diseases. Methods: Within the framework of an epidemiological study on the frequency of cardiovascular diseases we interviewed a representative population of alpine skiers/snowboarders (skiers) and hikers in the Tyrolean Alps. We used a standardised questionnaire that was anteriorly tested and revised to optimize clarity and time-saving handling. We recorded individual characters and if the persons are treated with a beta blocker. We collected data of 1062 skiers and 1525 hikers in various ski and mountain huts. Trained interviewers collected the data on weekends and during the week as well. They always tried to interview all present persons in the huts to avoid any selection bias. Because some questionnaires had to be excluded caused by obviously incorrect details, data of 1041 skiers and 1425 hikers were included into the analyses. Data were statistically analysed by SPSS (version 13.0). Comparison of variables were performed by student's t-test, by chi-square-test or fisher's exact test as adequate. P-Values less than 0.05 were considered to indicate statistical significance. Values are presented as means+/-SD or frequencies. Results: The mean age of the interviewed skiers and hikers was 36+/-6 and 42+/-16 years, respectively (p<0.01). The frequency of therapeutic beta-blocker intake increased with age of the persons. No differences in the prevalence of beta blocker intake were detected between skiers and hikers (3.5 % vs. 3.3 %, p=0.83). Table 1 shows the gender and age specific frequencies of beta-blocker intake among skiers and hikers. Nearly 90 % of the persons under beta blockade were over the age of 40 years (n=83). Most of these persons (68.7 %) suffered from hypertension and about every fourth (24.1 %) had a known coronary artery disease with or without a prior myocardial infarction. Discussion/Conclusion: The observed frequency is age-dependent and indicates that about 1 out of 10 skiers and hikers over the age of 60 years is treated by a beta blocker. Because cases of beta-blocker intake that are not reported or unknown are not included in our calculations the real frequency seems rather to be underestimated. Although our results can not be uncritically generalized to other mountain regions and altitudes we estimate about 1 million mountain tourists in the whole Alps annually taking these drugs. Further epidemiological and physiological research is needed to provide the data for scientifically based recommendations to persons under therapy with beta blockers or other cardiovascular drugs. This practice could guarantee that mountain sports can be performed by this group of persons with the greatest benefit and the lowest cardiovascular risk.
© Copyright 2005 International Congress Mountain & Sport. Updating study and research from laboratory to field. 11th-12th November 2005. Rovereto (TN) - Italy. Programme and book of abstracts. Veröffentlicht von Centro Interuniversitario di Ricerca in Bioingegneria e Scienze Motorie. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.