Elsevier

Thrombosis Research

Volume 87, Issue 6, 15 September 1997, Pages 559-569
Thrombosis Research

THE EFFECT OF PHYSICAL CONDITIONING SUGGESTS ADAPTATION IN PROCOAGULANT AND FIBRINOLYTIC POTENTIAL

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0049-3848(97)00185-0Get rights and content

Abstract

Acute exercise evokes a transient increase in procoagulant activity. We evaluated the effect of physical conditioning on the activation of the coagulation and fibrinolytic systems. Two groups of subjects of different aerobic endurance levels (athletes and controls with maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) 68,4 and 52,6 ml·kg−1·min−1, respectively), were tested at rest and after standardized exercise at 80 % of their individual VO2 max. There was a significant increase in prothrombinfragment 1+2 (F1+2) level among controls in response to standardized exercise (p<0.05), whereas no significant difference in the level of F1+2 between athletes and controls at rest or in response to exercise was demonstrated. Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) antigen level at rest was significantly lower in athletes compared to controls (p<0.03). A significant increase was found in the tPA level after standardized exercise in both groups (p<0.02), which was lower in athletes compared to controls (p<0.05). There were no significant differences between athletes and controls in plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and thrombin antithrombin complex (TAT) levels at rest. Athletes had a significantly lower PAI-1 level than controls after exercise (p<0.05). In conclusion, the present study suggests an increased activation of the coagulation system in response to exercise in controls only. It also suggests adaptive changes in fibrinolytic potential induced by physical conditioning, as demonstrated by the lower level of tPA at rest and the lower levels of tPA and PAI-1 after exercise in athletes compared to controls. © 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd

Section snippets

Subjects

In a cross-sectional study design, two groups of subjects with different aerobic endurance levels were tested. The first group included eight male long-distance runners (athletes) who had competed in national events for more than 5 years. They were tested in June while undergoing intense training (11.5 ± 1.0 hour·week−1 ; 8.3 ± 0.6 training units·week−1) and at least one competitive event per week. Their training program during this period included intense interval training. The second group

Baseline characteristics and responses to physical exercise

The data of the two groups of subjects are given in Table 1. Significantly higher plasma lactate levels after exercise were demonstrated in controls compared to athletes, eventhough both groups were tested at 80 % of their VO2 max. However, the plasma lactate levels in both groups failed to correlate with the levels of F1+2, TAT, tPA, and PAI-1 both before and after standardized exercise (r<0.3, p>0.1).

Procoagulant potential

F1+2. There was a significant increase in F1+2 level among controls in response to

DISCUSSION

The present study suggests more pronounced activation of the coagulation system among controls compared to athletes in response to physical exercise, as evaluated by the post-exercise increase in F1+2. The amount of thrombin generated in response to exercise appears to be rather small, explaining the limited increase in F1+2. This is also supported by the fact that the level of TAT, another marker of in vivo coagulation, did not change significantly in response to exercise in this study. The

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Norwegian Research Council for Science and the Humanities. We are indebted to Karin Lia for excellent technical assistance, and to Sara El-Gewely for correcting the English.

References (30)

  • H BOURNAMEAUX et al.

    Effects of exercise test on plasma markers of an activation of coagulation and/or fibrinolysis in patients with symptomatic or silent myocardial ischemia

    Thromb Res

    (1992)
  • H ARNESEN et al.

    Fibrin / fibrinogen degradation products (FDP) in urine and serum after prolonged heavy exercise

    Scand J Haematol

    (1976)
  • T MANDALAKI et al.

    Marathon runI: Effects on blood coagulation and fibrinolysis

    Thromb Haemost

    (1977)
  • J.A DE PAZ et al.

    Changes in the fibrinolytic system associated with physical conditioning

    Eur J Appl Physiol

    (1992)
  • H KVERNMO et al.

    Changes in blood cell response following strenuous physical exercise

    Eur J Appl Physiol

    (1992)
  • Cited by (26)

    • Prevalence and predisposition to deep vein thrombosis in professional male soccer players

      2021, Apunts Sports Medicine
      Citation Excerpt :

      A PTE occurs when a clot becomes embolized in the pulmonary arterial system. The transitory modifications of haemostasis in relation to exercise are of particular interest in sports medicine.1–5 Recent reviews and guidelines6–10 highlight that athletes may experience pro-thrombotic conditions as the result of exercise and of exposure to particular risk factors, such as trauma in vascular areas, immobilization due to injury, dehydration (which can lead to haemoconcentration and polycythaemia [also influenced by doping]11) hypoxia, and long-distance journeys during which mobility is reduced.12

    • Exercise-induced coronary thrombosis

      2017, Annales de Cardiologie et d'Angeiologie
    • Beneficial effects of habitual resistance exercise training on coagulation and fibrinolytic responses

      2013, Thrombosis Research
      Citation Excerpt :

      However, fibrinolytic parameters are not affected by every kind of exercise [26,44,52] and are dependent on type, intensity, and duration of exercise (which was one reason for using a more unique AERET protocol). The lower resting PAI-1 activity levels in our RT group are consistent with studies that examined both resistance [23] and endurance trained [42,53] populations. Post-exercise activity levels exhibited a sharp decrease in both RT and UT groups and both returned to near baseline levels at 60 minutes post exercise.

    • Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) risk factors, physical activity (PA) and plasma plasminogen (Plg) in a random sample of community-dwelling elderly

      2009, Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics
      Citation Excerpt :

      Exercise training did not change PAI activity and increased tPA activity (Kulaputana et al., 2006). Kvernmo and Osterud (1997) examined two groups of subjects of different aerobic endurance levels (athletes and controls). tPA antigen level was significantly lower in athletes compared to controls but there was no significant difference in PAI (Kvernmo and Osterud, 1997).

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text