Evaluating Muscle Damage Biomarkers in Adolescent Athletes: Implications for Public Health in Tacna, Peru—2023

The success of an athlete is influenced by various factors, including nutritional status, physical condition, training level, recovery, psychological factors, and genetics. Studies on athletes often take a preventive approach to evaluate muscle fatigue caused by intense physical exercise, which can impair performance, particularly in soccer players. This study aims to determine the serum levels of biochemical markers of muscle damage in adolescents from sports centers in the city of Tacna. A sample of 326 adolescents who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria was analyzed for muscle damage markers, including CRP, LDH, CK-total, and CK-MB, to assess potential skeletal muscle injury. The results were as follows: for the LDH test, 2.5% had low-level values, 91.4% had values within the normal range, and 6.1% had high values; for the CK-total test, 74.8% were within normal limits, and 25.2% had elevated values; for the CK-MB test, 99.1% had normal values, and 0.9% had elevated values; and for the CRP test, 95.7% were negative, and 4.3% were positive. According to the CK-MB/CK relative index, 7.1% of adolescents were suspected of having muscle damage. This study concludes that there are alterations in the biochemical markers of muscle damage in adolescents from the sports centers in Tacna.