P-79 Pattern of serum enzymes in pre-season - Creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase of college athletes in Jamaica

Methods: This is a longitudinal study of 75 athletes (42 males and 33 females) with a mean age of 20.00 ± 2.16 years. Blood samples were collected from athletes competing in various sporting disciplines such as sprints, throws, football, basketball, volleyball, netball and cricket. Samples were analyzed for CK and LDH using the cobas Pro analyzer. Data obtained was analysed using the statistical software SPSS 25, comparisons with p < 0.05 were deemed statistically significant.

Results: There was a high proportion, 95.2% (n = 40), of male athletes with elevated CK levels (compared with the normal range, p< 0.05). High LDH levels were observed in 66.7% of both males and females. In examining the prevalence of elevated CK and LDH levels across different sporting disciplines, for football 100% athletes had high CK while 87.5% had elevated LDH levels. For cricket 92.8% athletes had higher CK and 50.0% had elevated LDH. For netball, 85.0% athletes and 70.0% athletes had elevated CK and LDH respectively. Examining volleyball, 91.6% athletes and 75.0% athletes had elevated CK and LDH respectively, while it was 92.3% athletes (high CK) and 76.9% athletes (high LDH) engaged in sprints. Sports involving dynamic and repetitive high-intensity movements (e.g., netball, sprints) show the highest CK and LDH elevations. Disciplines with more static or controlled movements (e.g., throws, basketball) show lower enzyme elevations. CK was consistently elevated compared with LDH across all sporting disciplines.

Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrated that high-intensity sports can cause greater elevation of these enzymes which are markers of muscle strain and damage. This suggests the need for better recovery approaches to avoid over training and prevent injury.