tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Cureus
. 2022 Nov 23;14(11):e31829.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.31829. eCollection 2022 Nov.
A Systematic Review of Post-COVID Electrocardiographic Changes in Young Athletes
Thiago A Laranjeira[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Antonio S Menezes Jr[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Post-coronavirus disease (COVID) syndrome involves the presentation of various new, returning, or ongoing symptoms, more than four weeks after COVID-19 infection. Post-infectious myocarditis is a potential sequela, associated with greater arrhythmogenic potential. Thus, it is an outcome that should be considered in athletes. An undiagnosed heart condition associated with adrenergic stimulus caused by high-intensity exercises can lead to sudden cardiac death. Electrocardiography (ECG) plays a role in cardiac screening for potential cardiac changes associated with myocarditis. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of electrocardiographic alterations in athletes during the post-COVID period. A systematic review of longitudinal observational studies in the PubMed, LILACS, and CENTRAL databases that evaluated athletes in the post-COVID period with ECG was performed. A total of four articles involving 5371 patients were included in the analysis. The athletes mostly presented with mild asymptomatic or symptomatic COVID-19. A low prevalence of electrocardiographic alterations suggestive of cardiac involvement by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was identified in this population. Electrocardiographic abnormalities indicative of myocarditis are uncommon in young athletes throughout the post-COVID era. However, anomalies that may signify and need further cardiovascular testing were found.
Keywords: cardiology research; covid-19; ecg (electrocardiogram); long covid-19; systematic review; young athletes.
. 2022 Nov 23;14(11):e31829.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.31829. eCollection 2022 Nov.
A Systematic Review of Post-COVID Electrocardiographic Changes in Young Athletes
Thiago A Laranjeira[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Antonio S Menezes Jr[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 36440302
- PMCID: PMC9683511
- DOI: 10.7759/cureus.31829
Abstract
Post-coronavirus disease (COVID) syndrome involves the presentation of various new, returning, or ongoing symptoms, more than four weeks after COVID-19 infection. Post-infectious myocarditis is a potential sequela, associated with greater arrhythmogenic potential. Thus, it is an outcome that should be considered in athletes. An undiagnosed heart condition associated with adrenergic stimulus caused by high-intensity exercises can lead to sudden cardiac death. Electrocardiography (ECG) plays a role in cardiac screening for potential cardiac changes associated with myocarditis. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of electrocardiographic alterations in athletes during the post-COVID period. A systematic review of longitudinal observational studies in the PubMed, LILACS, and CENTRAL databases that evaluated athletes in the post-COVID period with ECG was performed. A total of four articles involving 5371 patients were included in the analysis. The athletes mostly presented with mild asymptomatic or symptomatic COVID-19. A low prevalence of electrocardiographic alterations suggestive of cardiac involvement by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was identified in this population. Electrocardiographic abnormalities indicative of myocarditis are uncommon in young athletes throughout the post-COVID era. However, anomalies that may signify and need further cardiovascular testing were found.
Keywords: cardiology research; covid-19; ecg (electrocardiogram); long covid-19; systematic review; young athletes.