The Reliability of the Cube Reader LFD to Measure Salivary Cortisol and Salivary Immunoglobulin A in Inter-County Hurling Players

The aim of this study was to assess the reliability of evening salivary cortisol and salivary Immunoglobulin A (s-IgA) samples measured using the Soma Cube Reader Lateral Flow Device (SCR LFD) in inter-county hurling players. Forty (n=40) male inter- county hurling players provided two saliva samples concurrently to assess for reliability. Good reliability, ICC (r=0.792, P<0.001) was found for salivary cortisol. Similarly, good reliability, Intra class Correlation Coefficient (ICC) (r=0.810, P<0.001) was found for s-IgA. The limit of agreement between test 1 and 2 for salivary cortisol and s-IgA was graphed using a Bland Altman plot. The results showed the data for both tests fell within the 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) range. These findings show the soma cube reader LFD to have good reliability when measuring evening salivary cortisol and s-IgA samples in inter-county hurling players, which is important as training, is scheduled in the evening for these amateur players.