The study finds that elite athletes who recovered from COVID-19 did not experience long-term negative effects on their cardiac health, allowing for the successful resumption of high-level sports. The findings also suggest that proper screening and medical counseling can pave the way for safe returns to sports post-COVID-19.
By Neha MathurSep 10 2023 In a recent article published in the journal Heart, researchers evaluated the long-term effects of resuming elite sports on cardiac health after recovering from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection.
Background In-human studies during active myocarditis are lacking due to ethical reasons. However, studies in mice have shown that strenuous physical activity, e.g., elite sports, could lead to severe cardiac effects, including ventricular tachyarrhythmias and mortality. However, cross-sectional studies mainly focused on the prevalence of cardiac aberrations and implemented return-to-sports screening protocols, and prospective studies investigating longer-term outcomes of sports participation on cardiac health post-COVID-19 are lacking.
First, the team compared ventricular volumes and function, late gadolinium enhancement , and native T1 relaxation times of SARS-CoV-2-infected and non-infected ELITE athletes. Further, they examined long-term detrimental cardiac effects, including cardiac adverse events and ventricular arrhythmia burden, to determine whether SARS-CoV-2 infection led to the cessation of their sports careers.
Based on pre- and post-infection CMR results, SARS-CoV-2 infection showed no detrimental effects on volumetric and functional CMR parameters of all athletes who resumed elite sports. Prevalence of perimyocardial involvement was extremely low , with a temporally variable clinical presentation and course.
Conclusions Athletes who participate in elite sports constitute a distinctive phenotype to investigate the role of physical activity as a trigger for adverse cardiac remodeling post-COVID-19.