Ammar Mohamed M, Ben Said Noureddine M, Ben Said Younes N, Abdelsalam Ahmed M, Levushkin Sergey P, Laptev Aleksey, Inoubli Mokhtar, Chlif Mehdi
Exercise Physiology Department, College of Sport Science and Physical Activities, King Saud University, Riyadh 11362, Saudi Arabia.
Biomechanics and Motor Behavior Department, College of Sport Science and Physical Activities, King Saud University, Riyadh 12371, Saudi Arabia.
J Clin Med. 2024 Oct 8;13(19):5990. doi: 10.3390/jcm13195990.
This study investigated the long-term cardiovascular effects of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in elite male athletes by comparing the heart rate variability (HRV), arterial stiffness, and other cardiovascular parameters between those with and without prior COVID-19 infection. This cross-sectional study evaluated 120 elite male athletes (60 post COVID-19, 60 controls) using anthropometric measurements, body composition analysis, pulmonary function tests, HRV analysis, arterial stiffness assessments, hemodynamic monitoring, and microcirculatory function tests. Athletes post COVID-19 showed significantly higher lean mass ( = 0.007), forced vital capacity ( = 0.001), and forced expiratory volume in 1 s ( = 0.007) than controls. HRV parameters did not significantly differ between the groups. Post-COVID-19 athletes exhibited peripheral vascular resistance ( = 0.048) and reflection index ( = 0.038). No significant differences were observed in the blood pressure, cardiac output, oxygen saturation, or microcirculatory oxygen absorption. Elite male athletes showed notable cardiovascular resilience after COVID-19, with only minor differences in vascular function. The maintained cardiac autonomic function and improved lung parameters in post-COVID-19 athletes suggests an adaptive response. These findings support the cardiovascular health of elite athletes following COVID-19 but emphasize the importance of continued monitoring.
本研究通过比较有和没有感染过新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）的精英男性运动员的心率变异性（HRV）、动脉僵硬度和其他心血管参数，调查了COVID-19对他们的长期心血管影响。这项横断面研究使用人体测量、身体成分分析、肺功能测试、HRV分析、动脉僵硬度评估、血流动力学监测和微循环功能测试，对120名精英男性运动员（60名感染COVID-19后康复者，60名对照组）进行了评估。感染COVID-19后的运动员的瘦体重（P = 0.007）、用力肺活量（P = 0.001）和第1秒用力呼气量（P = 0.007）显著高于对照组。两组之间的HRV参数没有显著差异。感染COVID-19后的运动员表现出外周血管阻力增加（P = 0.048）和反射指数增加（P = 0.038）。在血压、心输出量、血氧饱和度或微循环氧吸收方面未观察到显著差异。精英男性运动员在感染COVID-19后表现出显著的心血管恢复力，血管功能仅有微小差异。感染COVID-19后的运动员心脏自主神经功能保持良好且肺参数有所改善，提示这是一种适应性反应。这些发现支持了精英运动员在感染COVID-19后的心血管健康，但强调了持续监测的重要性。
