Faculdade de Medicina da, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
Serviço de Cardiologia, Hospital Universitário de Santa Maria - CHULN, Lisbon, Portugal.
Phys Sportsmed. 2024 Oct;52(5):452-459. doi: 10.1080/00913847.2024.2321629. Epub 2024 Feb 29.
Long COVID is a condition where symptoms or complications persist beyond 3 months after COVID-19 infection. Although most athletes experience mild symptoms, those involved in sports with higher cardiovascular demands can develop long COVID, which can negatively impact sports performance. This narrative review aimed to analyze the long COVID in athletes, especially cardiovascular effects; to alert medical and sporting community for the clinical aftermaths of COVID-19, focusing on physical activity; and to discuss the potential return-to-play strategies for these athletes.
An electronic search in PubMed database for articles published between January/2020 and February/2023 was performed including athletic populations with COVID-19, emphasizing long-term complications, especially the cardiovascular effects.
While severe cardiac complications are rare, athletes with long COVID often experience symptoms such as fatigue, dyspnea, palpitations, and exercise intolerance. To manage athletes with long COVID, individualized and structured return-to-play programs with the involvement of multidisciplinary teams are crucial. This underscores the importance of recognizing long COVID in athletes, raising awareness of its potential impacts, and implementing strategies to ensure a safe return to play.
长新冠是指 COVID-19 感染后症状或并发症持续 3 个月以上的情况。尽管大多数运动员仅出现轻度症状，但那些从事心血管需求较高的运动项目的运动员可能会患上长新冠，从而对运动表现产生负面影响。本叙述性综述旨在分析运动员中的长新冠，特别是心血管影响；提醒医疗和体育界关注 COVID-19 的临床后果，重点关注体育活动；并讨论这些运动员的潜在重返赛场策略。
在 PubMed 数据库中进行了一项电子搜索，检索了 2020 年 1 月至 2023 年 2 月期间发表的关于患有 COVID-19 的运动员的文章，重点强调了长期并发症，特别是心血管影响。
虽然严重的心脏并发症较为罕见，但长新冠运动员常出现疲劳、呼吸困难、心悸和运动不耐受等症状。为了管理长新冠运动员，需要个体化和结构化的重返赛场方案，并由多学科团队参与。这突显了识别运动员中的长新冠、提高对其潜在影响的认识以及实施策略以确保安全重返赛场的重要性。
