Lung abscess diagnosed in a professional rugby player: an illustration of overtraining syndrome?

Bernard H Castinel ^1*, Philippe Adam ¹, Christophe Prat ² and Pierre Mourlanette ¹

¹ Clinique des Cedres, 31 700 Cornebarrieu, France
² Stade Toulousain Rugby, 31 000 Toulouse, France

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: bcastinel{at}yahoo.fr.

Accepted 27 March 2007

Abstract

Like in other endurance sports, intensity of training sessions and pace of competition have significantly increased since professionalism was introduced in rugby union. We report the case of a professional rugby player, which clinical condition could illustrate an overtraining syndrome. This player was diagnosed with septicaemia and a lung abscess, subsequent to an infected ear wound. Symptoms only resolved after a heavy antibiotherapy and three months-rest. Even though the present epidemiological data were in favour of an overtraining hypothesis, complementary blood analyses would be necessary to confirm it. However, this case report underlines the importance of clinically assessing the individual capacity of players to recover, in order to prevent overtraining and to maintain a high level of performance during the whole competition.

Key Words: lung abscess, overtraining, rugby, septicaemia

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