717 FO71 – Return to sport following pathogen-specific acute respiratory infections

Background Acute respiratory infections (ARinf) are the most common medical reason for athletes to miss training or competition. The influence that different pathogens have on the time to return-to-training (RTT) and return-to-full performance (RTFP) remains unknown. Objective To determine whether the time to RTT and RTFP following an ARinf differs between Rhinovirus ARinf (ARinfRHINO) compared to ARinf caused by other pathogens (ARinfOTHER). Design Prospective cohort Setting A laboratory setting at a sports medicine facility providing care for athletes of all competitive levels. Participants 32 athletes (age 17–45) presented within 3 days of developing symptoms of ARinf. Interventions Participants were assessed by a Sports Physician. The causative pathogen was identified using multiplex PCR testing (BioFire FilmArray). Symptoms, days to RTT and RTFP were tracked for the subsequent month. Outcome Measurements The time (days) to RTT and RTFP among athletes with ARinfRHINO and ARinfOTHER. The comparison of days to RTT and RTFP between the two groups of athletes was done using non-parametric t-tests. Results 11 athletes had ARinfRHINO and 21 had ARinfOTHER. There were no differences in age, sex, type of sport, level of participation, or years of sporting experience between the two groups. The median (IQR) days to RTT and RTFP were significantly shorter among ARinfRHINO compared to ARinfOTHER [RTT 3.0 (5) vs 6.0 (5), p=0.014; RTFP 7.0 (5) vs 13.0 (8), p=0.022]. Conclusions The time to RTT and RTFP was significantly shorter among athletes with Rhinovirus ARinf compared to ARinf caused by other pathogens. This difference was more notable for time to RTT than RTFP. Although this is preliminary data, knowing the pathogen may be an important consideration for team physicians to guide athletes in their return-to-sport process. We acknowledge the small sample size and therefore continue to collect data for this ongoing study to elaborate on these findings.