COVID-19 can cause heart disease in young athletes

Myocarditis, a heart disease, was found in many US college athletes infected with COVID-19. A new study has been discovered.

Myocarditis is also associated with the COVID-19 vaccine in some adolescents. However, experts say that this inflammation of the myocardium is much more likely to occur in people infected with the COVID-19 infection itself.

Dr. Jean Judy, a senior researcher and professor of radiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said:

“Myocarditis is part of the body’s response to fighting an infection, but it’s also a response to a virus that tries to attack the heart,” Judy said.

Myocarditis is usually caused by a viral or bacterial infection. It can affect the rhythm and pumping capacity of the heart. It can also cause persistent scarring of the myocardium, Judy’s team said.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people with COVID-19 are 16 times more likely to have myocarditis than those who are not infected.

Judy and his colleagues said myocarditis was associated with up to 20% of sudden deaths in young athletes.

Concerns have been raised, especially among young men like this study, that myocarditis may develop after vaccination with COVID-19.

However, according to the CDC, there are about 50 cases of myocarditis in every 1 million young men vaccinated, far below the risk of myocarditis due to COVID-19 itself.

Based on that data, the CDC says the benefits from the vaccine far outweigh the risks of getting myocarditis.

“We know that COVID-19 can affect the heart, and we know that there is no reason to risk the potential long-term effects of the COVID-19 type. “I’m doing it,” said Judy.

“Therefore, vaccination is probably the best thing to think about,” he emphasized.

In this study, Judy’s team used the Big Ten Athletic Conference feature to obtain data on the frequency of myocarditis in student athletes recovering from COVID-19.

At the meeting, all athletes infected with COVID had to undergo a series of heart tests before returning to play. The tests included cardiac MRI, echocardiography, ECG, and blood tests.

Jeudy reviewed the results of approximately 1,600 cardiac MRIs from 13 participating universities.

Thirty-seven (2.3%) of these athletes had COVID-19-related myocarditis. But what surprised me was that few people had symptoms.

Twenty (54%) of these patients with COVID-19 myocarditis had no other tests showing heart symptoms or abnormalities. Only MRI found the problem.

Myocarditis was limited and disappeared within a month in some of the athletes surveyed, while others continued to show abnormalities on MRI, Judy said.

He said that many cases of myocarditis are unlikely to be diagnosed because MRI is expensive and most patients admitted with COVID-19 are not infected with MRI.

The long-term effects of myocarditis in people infected with COVID-19 will become apparent over time, Jeudy said.

He said persistent inflammation or scarring of the heart can increase the risk of irregular heartbeats known as arrhythmias.

When can athletes resume play?

“At least, the athlete is going out for six months after being evaluated and has confirmed that he will gradually return to play,” Judy said.

“It’s primarily associated with symptoms. If there are signs of hypofunction or arrhythmia, it’s a concern for that particular athlete,” Judy said.

The findings were presented on Monday at the Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. Findings published at medical conferences are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Dr. Marc Siegel, a professor of clinical medicine at the NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, said COVID-19 can affect many parts of the body.

“This is a virus that gives a lot of alarms around the body and gives inflammatory alarms,” ​​said Siegel, who was not involved in the study.

“These inflammatory alerts occur in organs where the virus isn’t even present,” he said. “It’s a body that fights viruses systemically. We see it in the brain. We see it in the heart. We see it in the lungs. It’s a polyphyly organ of inflammation. It’s a risk. “

Siegel said the best way to prevent COVID-19 and its complications is to get vaccinated.

“This study is another motivation for getting vaccinated before getting infected with COVID-19,” he said.

For more information

For more information on COVID-19, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention..

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