Upper Respiratory Tract Illness

Acute respiratory illness, new upper respiratory symptoms from an infective or a non-infective cause, is the most frequent acute presentation in athletes.

The infective form, the familiar upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) or common cold, is usually viral, mild and self-limiting. Symptom location alone does not prove infection, since allergy and airway irritation from hard training can cause similar complaints. What sets it apart in athletes is the question it raises: can the athlete keep training and competing?

The task is to separate uncomplicated illness from systemic or cardiopulmonary involvement and to guide load and competition decisions. That means avoiding 2 errors: restricting an athlete unnecessarily, or allowing hard training through an illness that carries real risk. The central safety concern is cardiac, since exercising while systemically unwell may, uncommonly, matter to the heart.