Reference Interval of Muscle Damage Indices and Cortisol in Young Athletes of Various Sports Discipline

Abstract

Creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and cortisol are widely accepted as biological markers. The purpose of the study was to frame the reference interval for muscle damage indices (CK, LDH) and cortisol in the young athletic population of various sports disciplines. 260 young male players [i.e., football (n=62), hockey (n=60), gymnastics (n=36), swimming (n=28), table tennis (n=25), sprint-jump-throw (n=36) and middle-long distance running (n=13)] were recruited for the study (mean age = 15.6±1.59 yrs). Assay of LDH, CK and cortisol was done using the standard enzymatic protocol. The reference interval was calculated by following the Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI) C28-A3 guideline and “MedCalc” software (version 19) with a 90% confidence interval. Serum LDH range was from 148.00-324.00 IU/L with a mean of 233.2±34.74 and a median around 236.25. Serum CK ranged from 17.00-43.50 IU/L with a mean of 28.93±5.23 IU/L and a median around 28.00. Cortisol ranged from 4.99-15.78 µg/dl with a mean of 9.31±2.09 µg/dl and a median around 8.90. The present study confers 165.63 - 303.43 IU/L, 19.00 – 40.09 IU/L and 6.07-14.15 µg/dl as the reference interval values for LDH, CK and cortisol, respectively. The present finding will guide the researchers to avoid misinterpretation of muscle damage indices values during any phase of competitive training of sports person.