Cardiac changes in collegiate athletes following SARS-CoV-2 infection and quarantine: a prospective Case-Control study

Abstract

Objective

Athletes are susceptible to acute respiratory tract infections, including SARS-CoV-2, which can affect cardiovascular function. We aimed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 infection and quarantine on cardiac function in male and female collegiate athletes.

Methods

We conducted a single-center, prospective, case-control study and performed transthoracic echocardiography in a diverse group of convalescent SARS-CoV-2-positive athletes following a 10–14–day quarantine, matched to non-SARS-CoV-2 athletes. Data collection occurred from August 1, 2020, to May 31, 2021.

Results

We evaluated 61 SARS-CoV-2-positive athletes (20 ± 1 years, 39% female) and 61 controls (age 20 ± 2 years, 39% female). Echocardiography in SARS-CoV-2-positive athletes was performed on average 40 ± 38 days after infection diagnosis. All SARS-CoV-2-positive athletes had clinically normal systolic left ventricular function (LVEF > 50%). However, SARS-CoV-2-positive athletes exhibited mildly lower LVEF compared to controls (65 ± 6% vs. 72 ± 8%, respectively, p < 0.001), which remained significant when evaluated separately for female and male athletes. Sub-analysis revealed these differences occurred only when imaging occurred within a mean average of 27 days of infection, with a longer recovery period (≥27 days) resulting in no differences. SARS-CoV-2-positive male athletes exhibited higher left ventricular end-diastolic volume and mitral filling velocities compared to male controls.

Conclusion

Our study reveals unique sex-specific cardiac changes in collegiate athletes following SARS-CoV-2 infection and quarantine compared to controls. Despite a mild reduction in LVEF, which was only observed in the first weeks following infection, no clinically significant cardiac abnormalities were observed. Further research is required to understand if the changes in LVEF are directly attributed to the infection or indirectly through exercise restrictions resulting from quarantine.

Keywords:

• SARS-CoV-2
• collegiate athlete
• COVID
• cardiovascular changes

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Data are available on reasonable request. All data relevant to the study are included in the article. In addition, the data supporting this study’s findings are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.