Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p> <bold>Background and Objectives</bold> Cardiovascular diseases can be prevented through regular physical activity; however, intense physical exercise, particularly in high-intensity sports such as wrestling, may temporarily disturb the body’s hemostatic balance and increase coagulation system activity and platelet aggregation. Because wrestling involves repeated bouts of explosive and strenuous effort, athletes in this sport may experience marked acute hematological and hemostatic responses following intense exercise. This physiological response can be influenced by exercise intensity, level of physical fitness, and individual characteristics, and under certain conditions may be associated with an increased risk of thrombosis and vascular complications. In addition, acute vigorous exercise may alter the balance between procoagulant and fibrinolytic mechanisms, leading to transient changes in blood coagulability. On the other hand, regular training may induce adaptations in the coagulation and fibrinolytic systems that attenuate the magnitude of these changes. Accordingly, the present study was conducted to investigate the acute effect of a single session of intense physical activity on blood coagulation factors among elite wrestlers, physically active men, and inactive men. <bold>Methods</bold> A semi-empirical comparative study was conducted to investigate coagulation indices in three independent groups, including elite wrestlers, active individuals, and inactive obese individuals. A total of 33 participants took part in the study, including 13 elite wrestlers, 10 active individuals, and 10 inactive individuals. Thirteen young wrestlers with 6 years of wrestling experience were selected as the statistical sample using a simple random sampling method (considering an error level of 0.05 and statistical power of 80%).In the present study, three natural and independent groups were examined despite the existence of inherent physiological differences, including the control group of inactive and obese individuals: individuals who had no regular exercise program during the previous 6 months and whose weekly physical activity was less than 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, and were categorized as having insufficient physical activity. (Number: 10, mean height: 1.68, weight: 84.95, age: 17.5, body mass index: 29.97) The training group consisted of active individuals who had regularly performed at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity (or an equivalent combination of both) per week during the previous 6 months and met the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for adult physical activity. (Number: 10, mean height: 1.65, weight: 82.5, age: 17.2, body mass index: 24.30) The elite athlete group consisted of members of the county wrestling team (Number: 13, mean age: 17, height: 1.73, weight: 67, and body mass index: 22.62). The normality of data distribution was assessed using the Shapiro–Wilk test, and differences between means after applying a single session of intense physical activity were evaluated using one-way ANOVA. The effect of the intervention, due to unequal numbers of participants in the groups, was examined using the Scheffé post hoc test (p < 0.05). <bold>Findings</bold> The results of the Shapiro-Wilk test indicate that the distribution of variables is normal. Also, the results of the analysis of variance showed that there was a significant difference between the three groups in terms of PT (p = 0.002) and D-dimer (p = 0.006), while there was no significant difference in PTT (p = 0.93). The lowest PT value was observed in the active group and the highest value in the elite wrestlers. Also, the average PTT in the three groups had a small dispersion, which was consistent with the results of the analysis of variance test. The results of the post hoc test showed that the average PT in the active group was significantly lower than the inactive group (p = 0.01) and elite athletes (p = 0.003), however, the difference between the inactive and elite groups was not statistically significant (p = 0.91). In the D-dimer variable, only the difference between the inactive and elite groups was statistically significant (p = 0.006(. <bold>Conclusions</bold> Intense physical activity, particularly in athletes, can lead to significant changes in some coagulation parameters, such as PT, PTT, and D-dimer. These changes indicate that strenuous exercise temporarily activates the coagulation and hemostatic systems to help the body maintain its hemostatic balance. </p>