Is airway damage during physical exercise related to airway dehydration? Inputs from a computational model

Abstract

Using a computational model for heat and water transfers in the bronchi, we identified a threshold in ventilation during exercise above which airway dehydration is thought to occur. When this threshold was exceeded, epithelial damage was found. This threshold might therefore represent the ventilation upper limit during exercise in susceptible individuals. Our results might help to prevent maladaptation to chronic exercise such as exercise-induced bronchoconstriction or asthma.