Table I.
Haematological and biochemical variations (median and interquartile range) in 17 trained Caucasian athletes before (pre-run) and after (post-run) a 60 km ultramarathon. Clinical chemistry parameters are shown both adjusted and adjusted for haemoconcentration.
| Pre-run | Post-run | p | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unadjusted data | |||
| Haemoglobin (g/L) | 142 (138–150) | 142 (137–154) | 0.45 |
| Red blood cells (1012/L) | 4.9 (4.7–5.3) | 4.9 (4.7–5.1) | 0.42 |
| Haematocrit (%) | 44.1 (43.2–46.6) | 44.0 (42.7–45.5) | 0.06 |
| MCV (fL) | 91.7 (88.9–92.7) | 89.8 (87.8–91.4) | <0.001 |
| RDW (%) | 12.5 (12.2–12.9) | 12.6 (12.2–13.0) | 0.01 |
| MCH (pg) | 29.6 (28.3–29.9) | 29.6 (28.3–29.9) | 0.42 |
| MCHC (%) | 32.1 (31.0–33.1) | 32.5 (31.7–33.5) | <0.01 |
| Haptoglobin (mg/dL) | 68 (41–86) | 36 (12–58) | <0.01 |
| Albumin (g/L) | 4.51 (4.31–4.70) | 4.80 (4.63–4.96) | <0.01 |
| Potassium (mmol/L) | 4.09 (3.87–4.48) | 4.49 (4.10–4.77) | 0.01 |
| AST (U/L) | 37 (32–41) | 51 (44–61) | <0.01 |
| LDH (U/L) | 506 (469–592) | 797 (718–900) | <0.01 |
| CK (U/L) | 195 (145–276) | 477 (407–656) | <0.01 |
| Haemolysis Index | 0 (0–0) | 0 (0–0) | - |
| Adjusted data* | |||
| Red blood cells (1012/L) | 4.9 (4.7–5.3) | 4.8 (4.6–5.2) | 0.10 |
| Haematocrit (%) | 44.1 (43.2–46.6) | 43.8 (42.0–45.6) | 0.07 |
| Potassium (mmol/L) | 4.09 (3.87–4.48) | 4.16 (3.90–4.65) | 0.17 |
| AST (U/L) | 37 (32–41) | 48 (41–57) | <0.01 |
| LDH (U/L) | 506 (469–592) | 753 (680–878) | <0.01 |
| CK (U/L) | 195 (145–276) | 466 (376–691) | <0.01 |
*
Results adjusted for haemoconcentration (i.e., for the plasma volume changes calculated from the difference in albumin concentration pre- and post-exercise).
Legend
RDW: red blood cell distribution width; MCV: mean corpuscular volume; MCH: mean haemoglobin content; MCHC: mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration; AST: aspartate aminotransferase; LDH: lactate dehydrogenase; CK: creatine kinase.