Immunosurveillance associated with upper respiratory symptoms in elite swimmers: The 8-month period leading into Commonwealth Games

Lauren Baker, Terun Desai, Mark Green, Amy Vivien Wells

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Objectives
To monitor individual mucosal immunity and identify potential risk factors of upper respiratory symptoms in elite swimmers over a competitive season.
Design
Eight-month longitudinal study, observing mucosal immunity, Epstein–Barr virus status, training loads and illness symptoms of elite international swimmers, leading into the Commonwealth Games 2018.
Methods
Participants were fourteen elite swimmers (age ± standard deviation = 19.9 ± 0.8 years, height = 178.9 ± 6.3 cm, and mass = 75.0 ± 7.7 kg). Self-reported upper respiratory symptoms, training load and saliva samples were collected weekly. Venous blood samples were taken at study commencement to determine Epstein–Barr virus status.
Results
Throughout the study, 70 episodes of upper respiratory symptoms were recorded resulting in 34 days of missed training. Incidence (p = 0.001), severity (p = 0.022), and duration of upper respiratory symptoms (p = 0.001) were significantly higher during high training loads, compared to low. Eight swimmers (61 %) had evidence of past infection with Epstein–Barr virus, but this had no relationship with incidence, severity, or duration of upper respiratory symptoms (p > 0.05). Relative individual salivary immunoglobulin A concentration was 12 % lower when upper respiratory symptoms were present but was not statistically significant (p = 0.101).
Conclusions
This study highlights the importance of individual athlete monitoring, to identify swimmers at increased illness risk. Identification of possible risk factors for upper respiratory symptoms, such as increased training load, may allow for modifications in training or other illness preventative strategies for elite swimmers.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)143-148
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Science and Medicine in Sport
Volume27
Issue number3
Early online date24 Nov 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 6 Mar 2024

Keywords

  • Immunoglobulin A
  • Upper Respiratory Symptoms
  • Competition
  • Elite Swimmers
  • Epstein–Barr Virus

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