INFLUENCE OF AN ULTRAMARATHON RACE AT MODERATE ALTITUDE ON COAGULATION AND FIBRINOLYSIS

Acute physical exercise induces a temporary increase in blood coagulab ility as well as in fibrinolysis. Only few data have been reported con cerning the hemostatic system after long lasting strenuous exercise. I n order to evaluate the consequences of prolonged strenuous endurance exercise on the hemostatic system, 11 athletes were examined before, i mmediately after as well as 24 h after the start of a 67 km mountain r un. Immediately after the race we found significant increases in throm bin-antithrombin III complexes (TAT; 1.4-fold), in D-dimer (1.4-fold), in plasmin-alpha(2)-antiplasmin complexes (PAP; 3.9-fold), in tissue type plasminogen activator (t-PA; 3.7-fold) and in t-PA-plasminogen ac tivator inhibitor-1 complexes (t-PA-PAI-1; 7.6-fold), Antithrombin III as well as PAI-1 remained unchanged. One day after the start of the r ace only PAP complexes were significantly elevated (1.7-fold). This st udy demonstrates that extreme long lasting endurance exercise activate s both, the coagulatory as well as the fibrinolytic system. As compare d with the activation of fibrinolysis the activation of the coagulatio n is small. Thus, we conclude that prolonged strenuous endurance exerc ise seems not to be associated with a high prothrombotic potential.