This article clearly explains the probable reasons for Jannik Sinner’s tonsillitis and the reasons why it is strongly discouraged to participate in competitive events during this illness: Keaney LC, et al. The impact of sport-related stressors on immunity and illness risk in team-sport athletes. J Sci Med Sport (2018).
Athletes are continually exposed to stress factors that have the potential to depress immune functions and increase the risk of infections, particularly upper respiratory tract infections or the common cold. In fact, it is the most common infectious disease reported by elite athletes. The illness is of great concern to athletes because it can disrupt training and performance.
To understand why athletes seem to have a higher risk of infection, the field of exercise immunology has emerged. Studies in this area have primarily focused on identifying immune markers that can be used to predict athletes’ susceptibility to illness, mainly in endurance athletes. In particular, mucosal immunity and T-lymphocyte cytokine responses have been found to be key determinants of infection risk for these stress factors include training, competition, travel, extreme environments, psychological stress, sleep deprivation, poor nutrition, and excessive alcohol consumption.
Common symptoms include sore throat, headache, runny nose, and cough, and they can result from infectious causes (viral, bacterial, or fungal etiology) or non-infectious and inflammatory causes (such as allergies, asthma, and trauma to the respiratory epithelial membranes).
