title: Role of illness in male professional football: not a major contributor to time loss.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There are limited data on the nature, type and incidence of illness in football. Previous studies indicate that gastrointestinal and respiratory tract illnesses are most common.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the incidence and burden of illness in male professional football.
  
  
  METHODS
  Over the 4-year study period, 2011-2014, 73 professional football teams in Europe participated, with a total of 1 261 367 player-days recorded. All time-loss illnesses were recorded by the medical staff of each club. A recordable illness episode was any physical or psychological symptom (not related to injury) that resulted in the player being unable to participate fully in training or match play.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 1914 illness episodes were recorded. The illness incidence was 1.5 per 1000 player-days, meaning that, on average, a player experienced an illness episode every second season, with a median of 3 days absence per illness episode. Severe illness (absence >4 weeks) constituted 2% of all illnesses. Respiratory tract illness was the most common (58%), followed by gastrointestinal illness (38%). Respiratory tract illness, gastrointestinal illness and cardiovascular illness caused the highest illness burden.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The illness incidence among male professional football players is low compared with the injury incidence. We found that the highest illness burden was caused by illness to the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sports Medicine, Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bjørneboe
authors.affiliation: Football Research Group, Linköping University, Sweden Division of Community Medicine, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Karolina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kristenson
authors.affiliation: Football Research Group, Linköping University, Sweden Division of Community Medicine, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Waldén
authors.affiliation: Football Research Group, Linköping University, Sweden Division of Physiotherapy, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Håkan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bengtsson
authors.affiliation: Football Research Group, Linköping University, Sweden Division of Community Medicine, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ekstrand
authors.affiliation: Football Research Group, Linköping University, Sweden Division of Physiotherapy, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6883-1471
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hägglund
authors.affiliation: Aker Solutions, Fornebu, Norway.
authors.forename: Ola
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rønsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Sports Medicine, Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Thor Einar
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Andersen
mesh_terms: D056352:Athletes; D017281:Cost of Illness; D004194:Disease; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007239:Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D012916:Soccer
keywords: Epidemiology; Football; Illness; Soccer