Top sports and CF

Question

I am a rowing coach and working on the selection for my rowing team. One of the girls has CF. I cannot find anywhere on the Internet whether sports on a high level can be combined with CF and if there are things that I should take into account. She just had her annual checkup, and that was very good (including a fast running test f.e.). She is 21 and she used to row as a junior. Rowing is obviously a strenuous excercise. Is it not too risky for a girl with CF? Where can I find more information about this? Are there people who have experience with intensive training programs for patients with CF?

Answer

Thank you for your concern,

Of course we cannot give advice about specific situations. It could harm the privacy of the patient.
In general we can state that sports and CF are not incompatible.
But we have to mention that there are several 'types' of CF, also very mild forms. And even in patients with the classic disease, the degree of lung impairment differs from person to person.
As long as patients with CF have a normal or almost normal lung function their exercise performance can reach very high levels.
There are some specific considerations:
- Since people with CF lose more salt via their sweat compared to healthy athletes, more attention must be paid to sufficient intake of salt and water.
- When people with CF have moderate to severe lung disease caution is needed: the effort may have to be adapted to their limited capacity for oxygen uptake.
- For people with CF exercise is to be encouraged; but even intense exercise is no replacement for the standard treatment with special nebulization medicines and respiratory physiotherapy.
- Some patients with CF have very sensitive airways and by doing sports intensively this can lead to exercise-induced asthma; in some cases asthma medication is required.
- Standard hygienic measures during sports and in the shower facilities should be followed.
- When doing an intensive exercise training, the performance of a so-called "spiro-ergometry" is recommendable: measuring the oxygen saturation, heart rate and gas exchange during a defined strenuous exercise burden on a machine called ergometer. If the result of this test is normal, one is on the safe side.

- It is very sensitive that patients inform their CF doctor in charge about any planned intensive training, in order to address other relevant aspects on that issue, like joint problems or decreased bone mineral density.

We hope this information will help you. We wish you and your rowing team much success!

Prof. K. de Boeck

22.12.2014