Table 5.
Changes in immune function among the competitive runners before and after the tests.
| Variables | NTG (n = 10) | p-Value | HTG (n = 10) | p-Value | p-Value (ɳ2) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre | Post | Pre | Post | Group | Time | Interaction | |||
| WBC count (103/µL) | 5.4 ± 0.5 | 5.6 ± 0.6 | 0.124 | 4.6 ± 0.8 | 6.4 ± 2.1 | 0.013 * | 0.977 (0.000) | 0.003 (0.387) †† | 0.014 (0.293) † |
| Eosinophil count (%) | 3.8 ± 1.5 | 3.7 ± 1.6 | 0.623 | 3.4 ± 1.3 | 3.1 ± 1.4 | 0.153 | 0.459 (0.031) | 0.126 (0.125) | 0.286 (0.063) |
| Neutrophil count (%) | 48.5 ± 5.8 | 46.4 ± 4.8 | 0.312 | 44.6 ± 4.6 | 53.0 ± 11.1 | 0.004 ** | 0.635 (0.013) | 0.047 (0.201) † | 0.002 (0.416) †† |
| Basophil count (%) | 1.3 ± 0.5 | 1.2 ± 0.6 | 0.434 | 0.8 ± 0.1 | 0.6 ± 0.1 | <0.001 | 0.004 (0.385) †† | 0.018 (0.273) † | 0.343 (0.050) |
| Monocyte count (%) | 9.2 ± 2.6 | 9.8 ± 2.0 | 0.141 | 9.1 ± 0.7 | 7.3 ± 0.7 | <0.001 *** | 0.090 (0.151) | 0.023 (0.255) † | 0.000 (0.580) ††† |
| NK cell count (%) | 22.0 ± 4.9 | 21.3 ± 4.9 | 0.603 | 19.6 ± 5.1 | 19.0 ± 5.6 | 0.622 | 0.280 (0.064) | 0.467 (0.030) | 0.988 (0.000) |
| B cell count (%) | 14.6 ± 2.9 | 13.1 ± 3.8 | 0.048 * | 16.7 ± 2.0 | 17.6 ± 1.6 | 0.229 | 0.008 (0.331) †† | 0.548 (0.020) | 0.022 (0.258) † |
| T cell count (%) | 66.6 ± 8.0 | 65.9 ± 10.3 | 0.633 | 70.1 ± 6.9 | 71.1 ± 8.1 | 0.126 | 0.249 (0.073) | 0.780 (0.004) | 0.256 (0.071) |
Values are expressed as means ± standard deviations. NTG = normoxic training group, HTG = hypoxic training group, WBC = white blood cell, NK= natural killer. Significant interaction or main effect: † p < 0.05, †† p < 0.01, ††† p < 0.001; Significant difference between the pre- and post-tests: * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001.