URI in Athletes

In Brief Infection incidence among athletes is highest during periods of intensified training and competition and after strenuous long-distance events. Which aspects of depressed immune function are responsible for this increased infection risk are not known, but our hypothesis is that lower salivary immunoglobulin A (IgA) secretion and a higher antiinflammatory cytokine response to antigen exposure are key determinants of infection risk. This article discusses the possibility that some immune variables may predict an athlete’s susceptibility to respiratory infections.