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Ribeiro J, Caldeira D, Dores H. Long-term manifestations of COVID-19 in athletes: a narrative review. PHYSICIAN SPORTSMED 2024; 52:452-459. [PMID: 38375735 DOI: 10.1080/00913847.2024.2321629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Long COVID is a condition where symptoms or complications persist beyond 3 months after COVID-19 infection. Although most athletes experience mild symptoms, those involved in sports with higher cardiovascular demands can develop long COVID, which can negatively impact sports performance. This narrative review aimed to analyze the long COVID in athletes, especially cardiovascular effects; to alert medical and sporting community for the clinical aftermaths of COVID-19, focusing on physical activity; and to discuss the potential return-to-play strategies for these athletes. METHODS An electronic search in PubMed database for articles published between January/2020 and February/2023 was performed including athletic populations with COVID-19, emphasizing long-term complications, especially the cardiovascular effects. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS While severe cardiac complications are rare, athletes with long COVID often experience symptoms such as fatigue, dyspnea, palpitations, and exercise intolerance. To manage athletes with long COVID, individualized and structured return-to-play programs with the involvement of multidisciplinary teams are crucial. This underscores the importance of recognizing long COVID in athletes, raising awareness of its potential impacts, and implementing strategies to ensure a safe return to play.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Ribeiro
- Faculdade de Medicina da, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Daniel Caldeira
- Serviço de Cardiologia, Hospital Universitário de Santa Maria - CHULN, Lisbon, Portugal
- Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Therapeutics Unit, Centro Cardiovascular da Universidade de Lisboa (CCUL@RISE), CEMBE, CAML, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
- Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculdade de Medicina da, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Hélder Dores
- Hospital da Luz Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
- CHRC, NOVA Medical School, Lisbon, Portugal
- Pathophysiology Department, NOVA Medical School, Lisbon, Portugal
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Massey D, Saydah S, Adamson B, Lincoln A, Aukerman DF, Berke EM, Sikka R, Krumholz HM. Prevalence of covid-19 and long covid in collegiate student athletes from spring 2020 to fall 2021: a retrospective survey. BMC Infect Dis 2023; 23:876. [PMID: 38093182 PMCID: PMC10717379 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-023-08801-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Symptomatic COVID-19 and Long COVID, also referred to as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC) or post-COVID conditions, have been widely reported in young, healthy people, but their prevalence has not yet been determined in student athletes. We sought to estimate the prevalence of reported COVID-19, symptomatic COVID-19, and Long COVID in college athletes in the United States attending 18 schools from spring 2020 to fall 2021. METHODS We developed an online survey to measure the prevalence of student athletes who tested positive for COVID-19, developed Long COVID, and did not return to their sport during the relevant time period. We surveyed a convenience sample of 18 collegiate school administrators, representing about 7,000 student athletes. Of those schools surveyed, 16 responded regarding the spring 2020 semester, and 18 responded regarding the full academic year of fall 2020 to spring 2021 (both semesters). RESULTS According to the survey responses, there were 9.8% of student athletes who tested positive for COVID-19 in spring 2020 and 25.4% who tested positive in the academic year of fall 2020 to spring 2021. About 4% of student athletes who tested positive from spring 2020 to spring 2021 developed Long COVID, defined as new, recurring, or ongoing physical or mental health consequences occurring 4 or more weeks after SARS-CoV-2 infection. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights that Long COVID occurs among young, healthy athletes and is a real consequence of COVID-19. Understanding the prevalence of Long COVID in this population requires longer follow-up and further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisy Massey
- Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Yale New Haven Hospital, 195 Church Street, Fifth Floor, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | - Sharon Saydah
- Coronaviruses and Other Respiratory Viruses Division, Epidemiology Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Blythe Adamson
- COVID-19 Sports and Society Working Group, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Infectious Economics, LLC, New York, NY, USA
- The Comparative Health Outcomes, Policy and Economics Institute, School of Pharmacy, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Andrew Lincoln
- COVID-19 Sports and Society Working Group, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Special Olympics, Washington D.C., USA
| | - Douglas F Aukerman
- COVID-19 Sports and Society Working Group, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Samaritan Athletic Medicine at Oregon State University, Samaritan Health Services, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Ethan M Berke
- COVID-19 Sports and Society Working Group, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- UnitedHealth Group, Minnetonka, MN, USA
| | - Robby Sikka
- COVID-19 Sports and Society Working Group, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Harlan M Krumholz
- Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Yale New Haven Hospital, 195 Church Street, Fifth Floor, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA.
- COVID-19 Sports and Society Working Group, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
- Section of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.
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Edward JA, Peruri A, Rudofker E, Shamapant N, Parker H, Cotter R, Sabin K, Lawley J, Cornwell WK. Characteristics and Treatment of Exercise Intolerance in Patients With Long COVID. J Cardiopulm Rehabil Prev 2023; 43:400-406. [PMID: 37646620 DOI: 10.1097/hcr.0000000000000821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
The post-acute sequalae of SARS-CoV-2, also known as "Long COVID," is characterized by profound fatigue, impaired functional capacity with post-exertional malaise, orthostatic intolerance, and tachycardia. At least 25-30% of individuals impacted by SARS-CoV-2 will go on to experience the Long COVID syndrome, underscoring the detrimental impact this condition has on society. Although efforts are underway to further understand risk factors for Long COVID and identify strategies to prevent disease development entirely, implementation of treatment strategies is warranted to alleviate symptom burden among those affected. This review provides a rationale for exercise prescriptions tailored to the Long COVID patient based on the pathophysiology underlying this syndrome, as well as the previously demonstrated benefits of exercise training in other similar populations whose clinical manifestations result from cardiac deconditioning. Herein, we discuss methods to tailor exercise protocols, accommodating exercise intolerance and post-exertional malaise that may otherwise limit the ability to participate in a training protocol, as well as data demonstrating that a focused exercise prescription may effectively alleviate symptom burden in these patients. Long COVID results, in large part, from deconditioning, which may result from as little as 20 hr of inactivity. Exercise prescriptions tailored to patients with Long COVID may effectively alleviate symptom burden associated with this condition and in the absence of overt contraindications should be considered in management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin A Edward
- Department of Medicine-Cardiology (Drs Edward, Rudofker, Shamapant, Parker, Cotter, and Cornwell and Ms Sabin) and Clinical Translational Research Center (Dr Cornwell), University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora; Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Parkview Medical Center, Pueblo, Colorado (Dr Peruri); and Department of Sport Science, Division of Physiology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria (Dr Lawley)
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Narasimhan B, Calambur A, Moras E, Wu L, Aronow W. Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome in COVID-19: A Contemporary Review of Mechanisms, Clinical Course and Management. Vasc Health Risk Manag 2023; 19:303-316. [PMID: 37204997 PMCID: PMC10187582 DOI: 10.2147/vhrm.s380270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The long-term implications of COVID-19 have garnered increasing interest in recent months, with Long-COVID impacting over 65 million individuals worldwide. Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) has emerged as an important component of the Long-COVID umbrella, estimated to affect between 2 and 14% of survivors. POTS remains very challenging to diagnose and manage - this review aims to provide a brief overview of POTS as a whole and goes on to summarize the available literature pertaining to POTS in the setting of COVID-19. We provide a review of available clinical reports, outline proposed pathophysiological mechanisms and end with a brief note on management considerations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bharat Narasimhan
- Department of Cardiology, Debakey Cardiovascular Institute, Houston Methodist, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Errol Moras
- Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine; Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lingling Wu
- Department of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenvile, NC, USA
| | - Wilbert Aronow
- Department of Cardiology, Westchester Medical Center, Valhalla, NY, USA
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Cavigli L, Fusi C, Focardi M, Mandoli GE, Pastore MC, Cameli M, Valente S, Zorzi A, Bonifazi M, D’Andrea A, D’Ascenzi F. Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19: The Potential Role of Exercise Therapy in Treating Patients and Athletes Returning to Play. J Clin Med 2022; 12:jcm12010288. [PMID: 36615087 PMCID: PMC9821682 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12010288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-acute sequelae of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) (PASC) describe a wide range of symptoms and signs involving multiple organ systems occurring after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, representing a growing health problem also in the world of sport and the athletic population. Patients with PASC have new, returning, or persisting symptoms four or more weeks after the infection. Among the most frequent symptoms, patients complain of fatigue, dyspnea, exercise intolerance, and reduced functional capacity that interfere with everyday life activity. The role of exercise programs in PASC patients will be identified, and upcoming studies will establish the magnitude of their benefits. However, the benefits of exercise to counteract these symptoms are well known, and an improvement in cardiopulmonary fitness, functional status, deconditioning, and quality of life can be obtained in these patients, as demonstrated in similar settings. Based on this background, this review aims to summarise the current evidence about the PASC syndrome and the benefit of exercise in these patients and to provide a practical guide for the exercise prescription in PASC patients to help them to resume their functional status, exercise tolerance, prior activity levels, and quality of life, also considering the athletic population and their return to play and sports competitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luna Cavigli
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies, Division of Cardiology, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Chiara Fusi
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies, Division of Cardiology, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Marta Focardi
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies, Division of Cardiology, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Giulia Elena Mandoli
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies, Division of Cardiology, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Maria Concetta Pastore
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies, Division of Cardiology, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Matteo Cameli
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies, Division of Cardiology, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Serafina Valente
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies, Division of Cardiology, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Alessandro Zorzi
- Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular and Public Health Sciences, University of Padova, 35128 Padova, Italy
| | - Marco Bonifazi
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neuroscience, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Antonello D’Andrea
- Department of Cardiology and Intensive Coronary Care, Umberto I Hospital, 84014 Nocera Inferiore, Italy
| | - Flavio D’Ascenzi
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies, Division of Cardiology, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-0577-585377
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