Analytical variability in athletes haematological testing.

摘要

The interesting paper by Kterkeberg etal. [8] has prompted us to make further considerations on the importance of the preanalytical and analytical. phases in antidoping testing. Remarkable differences between various instruments used for analyzing hematological samples have already been demonstrated in a previous paper published in this journal four years ago [ 10], In this paper, the variation of hemoglobin (Hb) measured with different haematological instruments in professional cyclists was extremely wide and analytically unacceptable in the clinical practice. Such a variability might be attributed to different sources. Orcadian rhythm for reticulocytes (Ret); presence of hemoconcen-tration or hemodilution; period of training and/or competition season. The biological variability of several hematological parameters depends on the different involvement in training program and psy-chophysical stress; this is particularly evident in cycling, where Hb values tend to decrease during long-lasting and demanding stage races [8,11 ], but also in other sports [ 1 ], so that the comparison of values between sports disciplines characterized by different intensities and duration of training might be unreliable [2].