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Background Myocarditis is a potential complication after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and a known cause of sudden cardiac death. Given the athletic demands of soldiers, identification of myocarditis and characterization of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection with cardiovascular symptoms (CV PASC) may be critical to guide return-to-service. This study sought to evaluate the spectrum of cardiac involvement among soldiers with cardiopulmonary symptoms in the late convalescent phase of recovery from SARS-CoV-2 compared to a healthy soldier control group, and to determine the rate of progression to CV PASC. Methods All soldiers referred for cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging for cardiopulmonary symptoms following COVID-19 were enrolled and matched by age, gender, and athletic phenotype 1:1 to soldiers undergoing CMR in the year prior to the first case of COVID-19 at our institution. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and imaging parameters were compared between groups. The diagnosis of acute myocarditis was made using modified Lake Louise criteria. Wilcoxon rank sum and chi-squared tests were used for comparison of continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Results Fifty soldier cases and 50 healthy soldier controls were included. The median time from SARS-CoV-2 detection to CMR was 71 days. The majority of cases experienced moderate symptoms (N = 43, 86%), while only 10% required hospitalization. The right ventricular (RV) ejection fraction (RVEF) was reduced in soldier cases compared to controls (51.0% vs. 53.2%, p = 0.012). Four cases were diagnosed with myocarditis (8%), 1 (2%) was diagnosed with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, and 1 (2%) had new biventricular systolic dysfunction of unclear etiology. Isolated inferior RV septal insertion late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) was present in 8 cases and 8 controls (16% vs. 24%, p = 0.09). Seven of the 19 (37%) cases that completed an intermediate-term follow-up survey reported CV PASC at a median of 139 days of follow-up. Two of the 7 soldiers (29%) with CV PASC had a pathological clinical diagnosis (myocarditis) on CMR. Conclusions Cardiovascular pathology was diagnosed in 6 symptomatic soldiers (12%) after recovery from SARS-CoV-2, with myocarditis found in 4 (8%). RVEF was reduced in soldier cases compared to controls. CV PASC occurred in over one-third of soldiers surveyed, but did not occur in any soldiers with asymptomatic acute SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Background Myocarditis is a leading cause of sudden cardiac death among competitive athletes and may occur without antecedent symptoms. COVID-19-associated myocarditis has been well-described, but the prevalence of myocardial inflammation and fibrosis in young athletes after COVID-19 infection is unknown. Objectives This study sought to evaluate the prevalence and extent of cardiovascular involvement in collegiate athletes that had recently recovered from COVID-19. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of collegiate varsity athletes with prior COVID-19 infection, all of whom underwent cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) prior to resumption of competitive sports in August 2020. Results Twenty-two collegiate athletes with prior COVID-19 infection underwent CMR. The median time from SARS-CoV-2 infection to CMR was 52 days. The mean age was 20.2 years. Athletes represented 8 different varsity sports. This cohort was compared to 22 healthy controls and 22 tactical athlete controls. Most athletes experienced mild illness (N=17, 77%), while the remainder (23%) were asymptomatic. No athletes had abnormal troponin I, electrocardiograms, or LVEF < 50% on echocardiography. Late gadolinium enhancement was found in 9% of collegiate athletes and one athlete (5%) met formal criteria for myocarditis. Conclusions Our study suggests that the prevalence of myocardial inflammation or fibrosis after an asymptomatic or mild course of ambulatory COVID-19 among competitive athletes is modest (9%), but would be missed by ECG, Ti, and strain echocardiography. Future investigation is necessary to further phenotype cardiovascular manifestations of COVID-19 in order to better counsel athletes on return to sports participation., Condensed Abstract COVID-19-associated myocarditis has been well-described, but the prevalence of myocardial inflammation and fibrosis in athletes after COVID-19 is unknown. We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of 22 collegiate athletes with prior COVID-19 infection who underwent electrocardiography, troponin I, echocardiography with strain, and CMR. The median time from SARS-CoV-2 infection to CMR was 52 days. All athletes experienced mild illness or were asymptomatic. Late gadolinium enhancement was found in 9%. This suggests the prevalence of myocardial inflammation or fibrosis after an asymptomatic or mild course of COVID-19 among competitive athletes is modest, but would be missed without CMR screening.