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Clinical Characteristics, Exercise Capacity and Pulmonary Function in Post-COVID-19 Competitive Athletes

Authors :
Antonio Bianco
Fabio Massimo Perrotta
Antonio Dello Iacono
Aldo Rocca
Germano Guerra
Klara Komici
Leonardo Bencivenga
Andrea Bianco
Giuseppe Rengo
Vito D'Agnano
Komici, Klara
Bianco, Antonio
Perrotta, Fabio
Dello Iacono, Antonio
Bencivenga, Leonardo
D'Agnano, Vito
Rocca, Aldo
Bianco, Andrea
Rengo, Giuseppe
Guerra, Germano
Komici, K.
Bianco, A.
Perrotta, F.
Dello Iacono, A.
Bencivenga, L.
D'Agnano, V.
Rocca, A.
Rengo, G.
Guerra, G.
Source :
Journal of Clinical Medicine, Journal of Clinical Medicine, Vol 10, Iss 3053, p 3053 (2021), Volume 10, Issue 14
Publication Year :
2021
Publisher :
MDPI, 2021.

Abstract

Background: Limited evidence exists regarding adverse modifications affecting cardiovascular and pulmonary function in physical active adults affected by COVID-19, especially in athletic populations. We aimed to describe the clinical presentation of COVID-19 in a cohort of competitive athletes, as well as spirometry and echocardiography findings and cardio-respiratory performance during exercise. Methods: Twenty-four competitive athletes with COVID-19 were recruited for this study after ending self-isolation and confirmation of negative laboratory results. All athletes underwent clinical evaluation, spirometry, echocardiography and cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET). These data were compared to a group of healthy control athletes. Results: Anosmia was the most frequent symptom present in 70.83% patients, followed by myalgia, fatigue and ageusia. The most frequent persisting symptoms were anosmia 11 (45.83%) and ageusia 8 (33.33%). Compared to controls, COVID-19 patients presented lower FEV1%: 97.5 (91.5–108) vs. 109 (106–116) p = 0.007. Peak Oxygen Uptake (VO2) in COVID-19 patients was 50.1 (47.7–51.65) vs. 49 (44.2–52.6) in controls (p = 0.618). Conclusions: Reduced exercise capacity was not identified and pulmonary and cardiovascular function are not impaired during early recovery phase in a population of physical active adults except FEV1 reduction.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20770383
Volume :
10
Issue :
14
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Journal of Clinical Medicine
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....3c5c2eedc9b109fb77f7d7f88dccd8a8