Immunological resistance and cellular reactivity in adolescent futsal players: effects of systematic training loads

Abstract

Problem Statement: During adolescence, the immune system undergoes a phase of dynamic development, which leads to increased sensitivity to external stimuli, in particular to intense physical exertion. Therefore, studying the immunological resistance of young athletes is extremely important for a better understanding of the mechanisms of the body's adaptive responses and minimizing the risk of immune depletion. Objective: This study aimed to examine the characteristics of immunological resistance and cellular reactivity in adolescent futsal players in relation to systematic physical training loads. Materials and Methods: The study involved 90 adolescents, stratified into two groups of 45 individuals each. Subjects underwent comprehensive clinical and laboratory assessments to ascertain the leukocyte differential, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and to calculate immunological and hematological indices. The analysis was conducted utilizing methods of variational statistics, with the significance of differences evaluated through Student’s t-test. Results: In Group I, a notable increase in the index of nonspecific resistance by 7.5% and an overall enhancement of immunological resistance by 3.81% were observed in comparison to Group II. Conversely, a significant reduction in immunological reactivity by 16.52% (p<0.05) and a decrease in the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio by 17.02% (p<0.05) were recorded. The most pronounced deviation was noted in the neutrophil shift index, which exhibited an increase of 66.7% (p<0.05). The parameters of erythrocyte sedimentation rate and fundamental blood cell components did not demonstrate significant discrepancies between the groups. Conclusions: Among athletes, first-degree changes predominated, which can be interpreted as adaptive responses. However, isolated indicators of third-degree alterations signify a potential risk of functional overload on the immune system. The findings may serve as a valuable resource in sports medicine for monitoring the health status of young athletes and for the optimization of training regimens.