Anaemia and iron deficiency in female players in Albania; comparison with a reference group

Alterations of the red blood cell system and iron metabolism can influence physical performance. On the other hand, exercise can influence haematological variables (Petibois et al., 2003). Screening for anaemia in sports persons is carried out primarily for health concern and secondly because it contributes to morbidity and diminished exercise performance (Descorges, 2008). While several studies in endurance sports show that dilutional "sports anaemia" can occur in the more elite athlete as an adaptation to aerobic conditioning, the prevalence of iron deficiency and its impact on performance have not been adequately investigated in non-endurance athletes (Di Santolo et al., 2008). The main objective of this study is to investigate the red blood cell population markers and the iron status in a group of 52 female volleyball players, and to identify possible differences with subjects of a reference sedentary group and the underlying factors underlying such responses. Eleven blood markers, of the red and white cell populations and the serum iron were studied in 52 female volleyball players from the local and university teams and 47 referent subjects, all aged 18-26 years, in blood samples taken from the cubital vein under standard conditions. The blood variables were analysed with an automatic cell counter, while iron status with a UV/visible spectrophotometer. Both female players and reference groups show similar range values for most of the blood markers and no significant differences (p