Changes of Selected Haematological Parameters in a Female Team during the 25th African Handball Winners’ Cup Played at Cotonou (Benin)

摘要

The performance in team sports partly depends on the oxygen transport capacity that is also associated with the erythrocyte values, which should be regularly assessed throughout the sports season. This controlled observational study aims at measuring the haematologic modifications induced by the physical load associated with a series of matches in a Benin Division 1 female handball team. It was carried out at Cotonou during the 25th African Handball Winners’ Cup, with 22 female handball players of the Beninese champion team, divided into an experimental group (EG: n = 16) and a control one (CG: n = 6). The red blood cell count (RBC), the rates of Hb (Hb) and haematocrit (Ht), the Wintrobe’s constants and four iron parameters were assessed prior to and after a series of four matches played in six days. At the end of the competition, RBC increased significantly (p p > 0.05). Serum iron, serum transferrin and total iron binding capacity decreased significantly (p