Cardiac Sequelae of COVID-19 in Children and Young Adults

Pediatric Annals
|May 26, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can affect the heart during acute infection and as a delayed post-viral inflammatory response. Long-term cardiac consequences remain unknown, necessitating individualized sports clearance protocols.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) frequently involves cardiac complications.
  • Early cardiac manifestations include pericarditis, myocarditis, and cardiomyopathy.
  • Delayed presentations, such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome and coronary aneurysms, occur post-infection, often testing negative for SARS-CoV-2.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the cardiac manifestations of COVID-19.
  • To discuss current management strategies and the need for long-term outcome data.
  • To highlight the importance of individualized sports clearance for athletes.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of COVID-19 cardiac involvement.
  • Analysis of early and delayed cardiac presentations.
  • Evaluation of current sports clearance guidelines for affected athletes.

Main Results:

  • COVID-19 presents with diverse cardiac issues, both acutely and delayed.
  • Management often adapts guidelines from similar non-COVID conditions (e.g., Kawasaki disease, other myocarditis).
  • Subclinical cardiac involvement is a concern, even in mild cases.

Conclusions:

  • Individualized assessment is crucial for sports clearance in athletes with a history of COVID-19.
  • Severity of illness, patient age, and sport level must guide return-to-exercise decisions.
  • Further research is needed to understand the long-term cardiac sequelae of COVID-19.

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