Neville et al 2008 SIgA & URI risk in Athletes MSSE (Accepted version).pdf (478.57 kB)
Salivary IgA as a risk factor for upper respiratory infections in elite professional athletes
journal contribution
posted on 2012-10-09, 12:19 authored by Vernon Neville, Michael Gleeson, Jonathan FollandJonathan FollandThe relationship between physiological and
psychological stress and immune function is widely recognized; however, there is little evidence to confirm a direct link between
depressed immune function and incidence of illness in athletes. Purpose: To examine the relationship between salivary immunoglobulin
A (s-IgA) and upper respiratory infections (URI) in a cohort of professional athletes over a prolonged period. Methods: Thirty-eight
elite America’s Cup yacht racing athletes were studied over 50 wk of training. Resting, unstimulated saliva samples were collected
weekly (38 h after exercise, consistent time of day, fasted) together with clinically confirmed URI, training load, and perceived fatigue
rating. Results: s-IgA was highly variable within (coefficients of variation [CV] = 48%) and between subjects (CV = 71%). No
significant correlation was found between absolute s-IgA concentration and the incidence of URI among athletes (r = 0.11). However, a
significant (28%, P G 0.005) reduction in s-IgA occurred during the 3 wk before URI episodes and returned to baseline by 2 wk after a
URI. When an athlete did not have, or was not recovering from URI, a s-IgA value lower than 40% of their mean healthy s-IgA
concentration indicated a one in two chance of contracting an URI within 3 wk. Conclusion: On a group basis, relative s-IgA
determined a substantial proportion of the variability in weekly URI incidence. The typical decline in an individual’s relative s-IgA over
the 3 wk before a URI appears to precede and contribute to URI risk, with the magnitude of the decrease related to the risk of URI,
independent of the absolute s-IgA concentration. These findings have important implications for athletes and coaches in identifying
periods of high URI risk.
History
School
- Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences
Citation
NEVILLE,V., GLEESON, M. and FOLLAND, J.P., 2008. Salivary IgA as a risk factor for upper respiratory infections in elite professional athletes. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 40 (7), pp. 1228 - 1236Publisher
Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins © American College of Sports MedicineVersion
- AM (Accepted Manuscript)
Publication date
2008Notes
This is a non-final version of an article published in final form in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 40 (7), pp. 1228-1236. The definitive version is available at: http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/pages/default.aspxISSN
0195-9131eISSN
1530-0315Publisher version
Language
- en