Effects of winter exercise and the healing climate of caves on people with allergies and asthma

Winter exercise and speleotherapy for allergy and asthma - the WESPAA study

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN88277657

Enrollment

Registered

2019-02-06

Start date

2012-11-19

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2023-04-03

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Allergy, asthma, respiratory allergies, house dust mite allergy Respiratory

Interventions

The intervention groups spent a 10-day winter holiday in the Holiday region National Park Hohe Tauern (Austria). The exercise group participated in a whole-day winter sports program and the speleother

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Age between 18-55 years 2. House dust mite sensitization (RAST > 2; positive PRICK-Test or total IgE > 0.7 kU/l) 3. Controlled allergic rhinitis and/or allergic asthma 4. Physical ability, including moderate skiing skills, to meet the demands of the exercise program

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Uncontrolled asthma (Asthma Control Test < 20) 2. Malignant neoplastic disorders 3. Exercise induced bronchoconstriction 4. Cardiovascular diseases 5. Orthopedic diseases 6. Lung function disorder 7. Acute infection or fever 8. Uncontrolled metabolic diseases 9. Pregnancy

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Measured at baseline (day 0), day 10 and day 60: 1. Allergic airway inflammation assessed using exhaled nitric oxide 2. Health related quality of life assessed using RhinAsthma Quality of Life Scale	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Measured at baseline (day 0), day 10 and day 60: 1. Inflammation/allergic inflammation assessed using differential blood count 2. Cardiorespiratory fitness assessed using the 6-Minute Walk Test 3. Lung function assessed using spirometry 4. Allergic inflammation in the upper airways assessed using eosinophilic cell count from nasal lavage 5. Cleaning rate of the upper airways assessed using mucociliary clearance (saccharin test) 6. Allergic symptoms and health status assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale 7. Chronic stress level assessed using the Trierer Inventory for chronic stress (TICS) 8. General health/health-related quality of life assessed using SF-36 9. Asthma control status assessed using Asthma Control Test 10. Health related quality of life for asthma assessed using Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire 11. Disease-specific health related quality of life assessed using Sinonasale Outcome Test	—

Measure

Time frame

Measured at baseline (day 0), day 10 and day 60: 1. Inflammation/allergic inflammation assessed using differential blood count 2. Cardiorespiratory fitness assessed using the 6-Minute Walk Test 3. Lung function assessed using spirometry 4. Allergic inflammation in the upper airways assessed using eosinophilic cell count from nasal lavage 5. Cleaning rate of the upper airways assessed using mucociliary clearance (saccharin test) 6. Allergic symptoms and health status assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale 7. Chronic stress level assessed using the Trierer Inventory for chronic stress (TICS) 8. General health/health-related quality of life assessed using SF-36 9. Asthma control status assessed using Asthma Control Test 10. Health related quality of life for asthma assessed using Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire 11. Disease-specific health related quality of life assessed using Sinonasale Outcome Test

—

Countries

Austria, Germany

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026