Description of the changes of some humoral immune variables immediately and 24 hours after exercise during the preparation exercises for rock climbing

Background and The specific preparatory activities may have different effects on various body systems which are not yet clear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a single session of specific preparatory activities on humoral immunity and white blood cell (WBC) immediately and 24 hours after exercise in elite rock climbing athletes. Ten elite rock climbing athletes (age 23.3±2.2 years, height 173.6 ±4.8 cm, and weight 64.5±7.3 kg) took part in this quasi-experimental study. Subjects were asked to perform specific exercises for 95 minutes (10 minutes warm up, 75 minutes climbing with different degrees of severity, and 10 minutes cool down). Blood samples were taken before exercise, immediately after exercise, and 24 hours after exercise. Data were analyzed using paired sample Student’s t-test and general linear model (p<0.05). All levels of immunoglobulins decreased immediately after the activity, but this change was significant only for IGM. White blood cells were increased significantly. However, after the 24-hour recovery period, IgG levels were significantly lower than before and immediately after exercise. IgM and IgA also increased significantly. The WBC counts after 24 hours had no significant difference with the previous levels. This study showed that following changes in humeral immune system variables and WBC count after an exercise in elite rock climbers, a 24-hour rest period can be effective to restore basal levels of these variables. Others may require more time. (Quarterly Journal of Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Volume 19, Number 2, pp.136-145).