Vascular alterations among male elite athletes recovering from SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Sci Rep
; 12(1): 8655, 2022 05 23.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1860397
ABSTRACT
SARS-CoV-2 may affect the cardiovascular system and vascular impairment has been reported in healthy young adults recovering from COVID-19. However, the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the vascular function of elite athletes is unknown. We examined 30 healthy male elite athletes (age 25.8 ± 4.6 years) pre-season and at a 6-month follow-up (182 ± 10 days). Vascular function and central blood pressure were calculated using transfer function-based analysis of peripheral arterial waveforms obtained by oscillometry. We performed a two-way repeated-measures ANOVA on the biomarker data, with SARS-CoV-2 status as the between-groups factor and time as the within-groups factor. Subjects who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 were studied 18 ± 4 days after their positive testing date at follow-up. Of 30 athletes, 15 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 after the first examination and prior to the follow-up. None had severe COVID-19 or reported any persisting symptoms. The results of the two-way repeated measures ANOVA revealed that there was no significant main effect of COVID-19 on any of the investigated biomarkers. However, there was a significant interaction between the effects of SARS-CoV-2 exposure and time on augmentation index (Aix) (p = 0.006) and augmentation index normalized to a heart rate of 75 beats per minute (Aix@75), (p = 0.0018). The observation of an interaction effect on Aix and Aix@75 in the absence of any main effect indicates a cross-over interaction. Significant vascular alterations in male elite athletes recovering from COVID-19 were observed that suggest vascular impairment. Whether these alterations affect athletic performance should be evaluated in future studies.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Athletic Performance
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Topics:
Long Covid
Limits:
Adult
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Young adult
Language:
English
Journal:
Sci Rep
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S41598-022-12734-z
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