Drug use and abuse and the risk of adverse events in soccer players: results from a survey in Italian second league players.

Summary: Objective. Drug use in athletes has been frequently investigated in the last three decades, especially regarding its misuse for doping. However, little is known about the use of permitted drugs for medical purposes and less studies have investigated the relationship between adverse drugs reactions (ADRs) and sports. Methods. An observational cross-sectional investigation analyzing a group of second league soccer players (the second-highest division in Italy) was performed. Anamnestic and physical examinations as well as a validated questionnaire (AQUA©) were performed in a group of 378 Italian second league soccer players. Results. Most players (91.8%) reported the use of NSAIDs in the previous year, and one third of them were regular users. Analgesics were used in 64% of the players, while 52.1% had taken antibiotics in the previous year. 29.20% of players used intraarticular treatments in the previous year. In 7,4% of players, an ADRs was reported: 3,47% reacted to NSAIDs, 2,6% to antibiotics, 1,05% to analgesics and 1 of them to supplements. For intra-articular injections, only 2 players experienced ADRs. One quarter of players experienced reactions as urticaria-angioedema syndrome or more severe conditions as bronchospasm or anaphylaxis. Conclusions. This study shows that drug misuse/abuse in soccer is a real matter of debate, especially with regards to NSAIDs, exposing athletes to predictable and/or unpredictable risks for their health.

Pirprofen in the treatment of sports injuries.

Patients with sports injuries were treated with pirprofen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, in two separate studies. In the single centre study, 39 athletes were treated with 1000 mg/day pirprofen for 2 weeks. In the multicentre study, a further 80 athletes were treated with a variable dosage (600-1200 mg/day) until the disappearance of symptoms, but for no longer than 2 weeks. Efficacy was considered excellent or good in 99/119 (83%) of the patients treated. The clinical variables of pain and mobility significantly (P less than 0.05) improved after 1 week of treatment. Tolerability was satisfactory, the main side-effects involving the gastro-intestinal tract.

Iontophoretic administration of pirprofen or lysine soluble aspirin in the treatment of rheumatic diseases.

A double-blind study was designed to compare the efficacy and tolerability of pirprofen and lysine soluble aspirin administered by iontophoresis to 80 patients with various painful rheumatic diseases. Treatment lasted two weeks, with five administrations a week, each lasting 20 minutes (direct current; mean intensity, 2.3 mA). After five administrations, patients showed significant improvement in pain at rest and on movement, with no significant differences between pirprofen and aspirin. Final results were excellent or good in about 75% of the patients treated and functional improvement was satisfactory in about 80%. There were no side effects.

[Platelet aggregation in whole blood and thromboxane B2 in type II and IV hyperlipidemia]. / Aggregazione piastrinica su sangue intero e trombossano B2 nelle iperlipemie di tipo II e IV.

Platelets play an essential role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis; by impedance method we valued in whole blood platelet aggregation induced by collagen in 40 healthy subjects and in 40 type II and type IV hyperlipemic subjects. Meanwhile by radioimmunoassay we dosed thromboxane B2, a stable product of thromboxane A2, released by platelets during activation, in 7 healthy subjects and 25 hyperlipemic subjects. The statistical investigation put in evidence that at higher plasmatic levels of cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL correspond a greater platelet sensitivity to the aggregating agent, while the opposite happens to higher levels of HDL. The dosage of thromboxane B2 put in evidence a moderate increase in hyperlipemic as to healthy subjects, probably pointing to a state of platelet activity.