Cardiovascular involvement among collegiate athletes following COVID-19 infection

Recent studies suggest that the prevalence of cardiac involvement in young competitive athletes with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection appears to be low.

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of cardiovascular involvement in young competitive athletes.

In this single-center retrospective cohort study from one Division I university; we assessed the prevalence of cardiovascular involvement among collegiate athletes who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by polymerase chain reaction testing. Data were collected from June 25, 2020, to May 15, 2021. The primary outcome was the prevalence of cardiac involvement based on a comparison of pre- and post-infection electrocardiogram (ECGs). The secondary outcome was to evaluate for any association between ethnicity and the presence or absence of symptoms.

Among 99 athletes who tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus (mean age 19.9 years [standard deviation 1.7 years]; 31% female), baseline ECG changes suggestive of cardiovascular involvement post-infection were detected in two athletes (2/99; 2%). There was a statistically significant association between ethnicity and the presence or absence of symptoms, χ ² (3, n = 99) = 10.61, P = 0.01.

The prevalence of cardiovascular involvement among collegiate athletes following SARS-CoV-2 infection in this cohort is low. Afro-American and Caucasian athletes are more likely to experience symptoms following SARS-CoV-2 infection in comparison to Hispanic and Pacific Islander athletes; however, there is no association between ethnicity and symptom severity.

These data add to the growing body of the literature and agree with larger cohorts that the risk of cardiac involvement post-infection appears to be low among elite athletic and semi-professional athletic populations.