Evidence mapPaperPMID 41440783Full record

ReviewJournal of functional morphology and kinesiology2025

Performance-Enhancing Effects of Inhaled Medications: Implications for Heart, Muscle Function, and Doping Detection in Athletes.

Riccardo Cricco, Andrea Segreti, Emanuele Stirpe, Aurora Ferro, Martina Ciancio, Flavia Cipriani, Chiara Fossati, Gian Paolo Ussia, Fabio Pigozzi, Francesco Grigioni

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Asthma in athletes: diagnostic challenges and management strategies.Current opinion in allergy and clinical immunology · 2026
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Riccardo CriccoDepartment of Cardiovascular Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo 200, 00128 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0009-0000-3383-1204
Andrea SegretiDepartment of Cardiovascular Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo 200, 00128 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-2631-8642
Emanuele StirpeDepartment of Respiratory Disease, Hospital of Bolzano (SABES-ASDAA), Via Lorenz Böhler 5, 39100 Bolzano, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-5062-4733
Aurora FerroDepartment of Cardiovascular Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo 200, 00128 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0009-0007-6265-9117
Martina CiancioDepartment of Cardiovascular Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo 200, 00128 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0009-0007-8934-0579
Flavia CiprianiDepartment of Cardiovascular Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo 200, 00128 Rome, Italy.
Chiara FossatiDepartment of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Piazza Lauro de Bosis 15, 00135 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-2870-7185
Gian Paolo UssiaDepartment of Cardiovascular Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo 200, 00128 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-8849-3097
Fabio PigozziDepartment of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Piazza Lauro de Bosis 15, 00135 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-5808-9405
Francesco GrigioniDepartment of Cardiovascular Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo 200, 00128 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-4767-7073

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Inhaled medications, commonly prescribed for respiratory conditions such as asthma and exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, are increasingly scrutinized in sports medicine due to their potential performance-enhancing effects. Bronchodilators, in particular, may improve lung function, increase oxygen delivery, and influence muscle contractility, potentially enhancing athletic performance. However, supratherapeutic use raises concerns about cardiovascular risks, including tachyarrhythmias and altered autonomic balance, as well as muscle hypertrophy and sprint capacity gains. These effects blur the line between therapeutic use and doping, creating challenges for fair competition. This review explores the mechanisms by which inhaled drugs affect the cardiovascular and muscular systems, summarizes notable doping cases, and evaluates current detection methods. Despite regulatory thresholds established by the World Anti-Doping Agency, assay interpretation remains complicated by inter-individual variability, short drug half-lives, and enantiomeric differences. Addressing these gaps requires refined pharmacokinetic modeling, enantioselective assays, and metabolomic fingerprinting to safeguard both athlete health and the integrity of sport.

Indexed as

athletescardiovascular systemdopinginhaled medicationsmusclesport medicine

Identifiers

PMID41440783
PMCPMC12734010

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.