Effect of swimming and asthmatic exercise on forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and levels of cortisol hormone in asthmatics patients

Abstract

Bronchial asthma is one of the allergic diseases characterized by reversible bronchial narrowing due
to bronchial hyperactivity and obstruction of respiratory tract. The prevalence and hospitalization
rates of bronchial asthma keep increasing from year to year, causing asthma to be the top ten causes
of morbidity and mortality in Indonesia. The decrease of the forced expiratory volume in 1 second
(FEV1) is one of the indicators of the respiratory tract obstruction. Moreover, the cortisol hormone
level is also associated with asthma. Asthma can be treated not only with pharmacological intervention
but also physical exercises. The aim of the study was to assess the increase of FEV1 and cortisol
hormone level after swimming and asthmatic exercise on asthmatic patients. This was a quasi
experimental study using pre and post test control group design. Two groups of 10 asthmatic
patients each conducted swimming and asthmatic exercise as intervention. On pre, middle and post
swimming or asthmatic exercise, those two groups underwent the measurement of FEV1 using a
spirometer and cortisol hormone levels using ELISA methods. The result showed that the value of
FEV1 and cortisol hormone levels increased significantly after swimming and asthmatic exercise
(p<0.05). Moreover, the improvement of FEV1 value and cortisol hormone levels of asthmatic
patients in swimming were higher than asthmatic exercise. In conclusion, swimming and asthmatic
exercise can increase the value of FEV1 and the levels of the cortisol hormone.

Keywords : swimming - asthmatic exercise - FEV1 - cortisol hormone - asthma