ABSTRACT
In order to study the effect of running exercise on hematological changes, hematopoietic progenitor cells (CFU-GM) and the fibrinolytic system in humans, a running exercise protocol was developed. The volunteers ran as fast as possible for a distance of 3.8 kilometers. Immediately after exercise, there were significant increases in hematocrit, absolute numbers of total white blood cell count, platelet count and CFU-GM, total protein and plasma fibrinogen, but all values returned to baseline within 15 minutes except hematocrit, platelet and total protein which returned to baseline value in 30, 30 and 60 minutes after exercise, respectively. The fibrinolytic reactivity increased immediately after exercise and returned to baseline level 15 minutes later. The changes in all parameters were transient and the increase in hematopoietic progenitor cells were not useful for stem cell harvesting by hemapheresis.