White blood cell count and adherence in sportsmen and non-training subjects

The white blood cell count and differential white blood cell count as well as the adherence of these cells were determined in 31 young clinically healthy men not participating actively in any sports and in 32 footballers belonging to third league sports clubs. In the group of footballers the determinations were carried out twice: in the initial period and then at the end of the highest-form period of the one-year training cycle. In the footballers in relation to the control group the total white blood cell count was raised, the differential count showed a shift in favour of neutrophils, eosinophils and monocytes at the expense of lymphocytes. The lymphocyte adherence was significantly decreased.