Abstract des Autors

The immune system has been proved to respond to increased physical activity, which can account for the exercise-related reduction of morbidity. On the other hand, intense exercises have repeatedly been shown to cause immunosuppression. This type of immune response is investigated in a great number of studies unlike the effect of long-term training on the immune function. The aim of the present study was to assess the immune status by measuring the serum IgA, IgG, and IgM concentrations of young healthy athletes practicing different sports, and compare the results obtained with those of a control, non-trained group. Blood samples were taken from 582 highly trained sportsmen (age, 14.01+/-0.06 years; weight, 56.35+/-0,49 kg; height, 164.9+/-0.52 cm), practicing seven groups of sports: track-and-field athletics (n=66), swimming (n=70), rowing (n=143), wrestling (n=149), weight lifting (n=40), sports games (n=90), and other sports (n=24). Length of sports practice was 3.44+/-0.06 years. These subjects trained 90 minutes twice a day, 5 days a week. The control group consisted of 61 non-trained subjects (age, 14.32+/-0.09 years). The samples were drawn from the cubital vein at rest and the the IgA, IgG and IgM concentrations (g/l) were determined. Serum IgA concentrations in sportsmen were found to be higher than these in the control group (1.96+/-0.03 vs. 1.39+/-0.10 g/l, P<0.001) whereas the opposite was true for the IgM levels - they were higher in the non-trained control group (1.23+/-0.09 vs. 1.05+/-0.02 g/l, P<0.01). The serum IgG levels were higher in the blood samples obtained from the trained group (12.37+/-0.16 vs. 11.06+/-0.44 g/l, P<0.01). The mean values of all subgroups of sportsmen were found to be within the normal ranges. The highest IgA concentrations were found in track-and-field athletes, and the lowest in swimmers. The highest concentrations of IgM were also found in track-and-field athletes, and the lowest in weight lifters. The highest concentrations of IgG were measured in sportsmen from the sports game subgroup, and the lowest in wrestlers. These data obtained confirmed the direct link between long-term physical training at pubescence and the serum immunoglobulin pattern. Verf.-Referat