[The importance of catecholamine determination in athletes]

During a physical as well as mental load as a rule sympathoadrenal activation occurs which leads to a rise of catecholamine plasma levels and their increased excretion. The author investigated changes of plasma catecholamines and their urinary excretion during different experimental conditions in the laboratory and in field work. These changes were assessed after different loads in trained and not trained subjects and the effect of different types of stress was investigated. As to stressing stimuli, the authors reports in the present work on the effect of hypoxia, dehydration, psychological stress, anticipation stress and the combined effect of stress and biorythms.