Repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on athletes: a cross-sectional study

Lopes, Lucas Rafael; Miranda, Vitor Almeida Ribeiro de; Goes, Rodrigo Araújo; Souza, Gabriel G. A.; Souza, Giuliana R.; Rocha, Jessica C. S.; Cossich, Victor Rodrigues Amaral; Perini, Jamila Alessandra

doi:10.5114/biolsport.2021.106147

Cited by 8 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…The infection rate among professional soccer players is consistent with that of the general population 4 , and most of the time, COVID-19 positive athletes are asymptomatic 6 . However, they may experience mild to moderate symptoms such as fever, cough, loss of taste or smell, headache, aches, muscle pain, sore throat, and tiredness 4 – 6 . Less common and more severe symptoms include shortness of breath, pain and pressure in the chest, or pneumonia 5 .…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 68%

Aerobic capacity of professional soccer players before and after COVID-19 infection

Parpa

Michaelides

2022

Sci Rep

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This investigation aimed to assess the aerobic capacity of professional soccer players pre-and post-COVID-19 infection. Twenty-one division-1 elite soccer players (age 24.24 ± 5.75 years, height 178.21 ± 5.44 cm, weight 74.12 ± 5.21 kg) participated in this study. This observational study compared the same players' aerobic capacity pre-, and 60-days post COVID-19 recovery. The statistical analysis demonstrated that the infected players had significantly lower VO2max values [t(20) = 5.17, p < 0.01, d = 0.613 (medium effect)], and significantly lower VO2 values at respiratory compensation point (RC) [t(20) = 2.97, p < 0.05, d = 0.39 (small effect)] after recovery. Furthermore, results indicated a significantly lower running time (RT) on the treadmill [t(20) = 4.84, p < 0.01, d = 0.46 (small effect)] when compared to the results that were obtained before they got infected. In addition, velocity at VO2max (VVO2max) was significantly lower [t(20) = 2.34, p < 0.05, d = 0.41 (small effect)] and the heart rate values at ventilatory threshold (VT) [t(20) = −2.79, p < 0.01, d = 0.55 (medium effect)] and RC [t(20) = −3.72, p < 0.01, d = 0.52 (medium effect)] were significantly higher post-recovery. The aforementioned findings indicate that post COVID-19 soccer players may not reach full recovery at two months. Therefore, our results highlight that further adaptations and improvements are needed with regard to aerobic capacity before soccer players return to professional games.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 68%

Aerobic capacity of professional soccer players before and after COVID-19 infection

Parpa

Michaelides

2022

Sci Rep

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“…Of the 43 studies and 11 518 infected athletes included in this systematic review, the median number (IQR) of participants per study was 26 (15–101). The included studies were conducted in Argentina,15 Australia,16 Brazil,1 17 Denmark,18 Finland,19 Germany,20–23 Hungary,8 24 25 Italy,9 26–31 Poland,14 Qatar,2 Russia,32 Serbia,33 Turkey,34 UK35 36 and USA 3 6 7 37–47. One study was a multicentre collaboration led by researchers in South Africa,48 and one study was conducted across different countries in Europe 49…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Eleven (25%) studies included only male athletes,2 9 15 18 19 21 22 29 33 36 49 2 (5%) studies included only female athletes32 34 and 22 (51%) studies included both male and female athletes 1 3 6 8 14 16 24–28 35 37–39 41–44 46–48. Eight (19%) studies did not report data on sex 7 17 20 23 30 31 40 45. All studies included young adults, except one that included youth athletes (mean age 14.0±1.9) 27.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1 2 7-9 14-16 18 21 22 24-26 29 31-36 41 49 Three studies included both professional and non-professional athletes, 23 28 48 and 1 study included professional, college and amateur athletes. 17 One study included professional, semiprofessional and youth academy. 20 Regarding COVID-19 diagnosis, 28 studies used PCR tests only (either real-time or reverse transcription), 9 studies used PCR and antibody/antigen tests and 2 studies used PCR, antibody/antigen and clinical features.…”

Section: Study Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Acute and post-acute COVID-19 presentations in athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

et al. 2022

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ObjectiveTo describe acute/postacute COVID-19 presentations in athletes.DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis.Data sourcesThe search was conducted in four databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS, SPORTDiscus) and restricted to studies published from 2019 to 6 January 2022.Eligibility criteria for selecting studiesStudies were required to (1) include professional, amateur or collegiate/university athletes with COVID-19; (2) present data on acute/postacute COVID-19 symptoms and (3) have an observational design. Risk of bias was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal tools.Results43 studies with 11 518 athletes were included. For acute presentation, the pooled event rates for asymptomatic and severe COVID-19 were 25.5% (95% CI: 21.1% to 30.5%) and 1.3% (95% CI: 0.7% to 2.3%), respectively. For postacute presentations, the pooled estimate of persistent symptoms was 8.3% (95% CI: 3.8% to 17.0%). Pooled estimate for myocardial involvement was 5.0% (95% CI: 2.5% to 9.8%) in athletes undergoing any cardiac testing, and 2.5% (95% CI: 1.0% to 5.8%) in athletes undergoing MRI, although clinical symptoms were not characterised. None of the studies with a control group (eg, non-infected athletes) could confirm a causal relationship between COVID-19 and myocardial involvement.ConclusionThis broad characterisation of COVID-19 presentations in athletes indicates that ~94% exhibited mild or no acute symptoms. The available evidence did not confirm a causal relationship between COVID-19 and myocardial involvement. A small proportion of athletes experienced persistent symptoms while recovering from infection, which were mostly mild in nature, but could affect return-to-play decisions and timing.

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“…The training routine of athletes of collective sports was disrupted by COVID-19 more significantly than for those of individual sports, with their athletic performance more affected by the confinement than in individual sports, probably due to the added difficulty of having to meet with companions in order to train. Remarkably, an investigation on the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on athletes through a cross-sectional study showed that athletes who had a teammate who tested positive were 15-fold more likely to be tested for COVID-19 [ 21 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of COVID-19 Home Confinement on Behavior, Perception of Threat, Stress and Training Patterns of Olympic and Paralympic Athletes

Martínez-Patiño

Lopez

Dubois

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Background: The aims of this study were to analyze the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and its subsequent confinement on behaviors, perception of threat, stress, state of mind and training patterns among Olympic and Paralympic level athletes. Methods: Data gathering was performed utilizing an online questionnaire during imposed confinement. A correlational design with incidental sampling for convenience was used. All the variables were analyzed by age, gender, academic training, type of participation and sport specialty on a population composed of 447 Olympic (age: 26.0 ± 7.5 years) and 64 Paralympic (age: 28.4 ± 10.5 years) athletes. Results: The athletes trained more than twice as many hours before than during confinement. Most of the athletes recognized that their best athletic performance diminished due to the COVID-19 confinement but that will recover after the pandemic and its confinements. Almost half of the athletes declared they were more tired than normal and had difficulty sleeping, while more than half ate more or less as usual. Paralympic athletes reported they felt more capable to cope with personal problems and life events and felt less lonely during the confinement than the Olympians. The athletes from team sports reported to be more affected in their training routine than athletes of individual sports, seeing their athletic performance more affected. Athletes in individual sports felt more able to cope with personal problems than athletes in team sports. Female athletes were significantly more tired and reported more difficulty sleeping than male athletes. Conclusion: The situation caused by COVID-19 has had significant effects on the behavior, perception of threat, stress and training patterns of Olympic and Paralympic athletes preparing for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It is necessary that sports institutions reinforce mechanisms of help for athletes during future situations of confinement.

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Repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on athletes: a cross-sectional study

Cited by 8 publications

References 35 publications

Aerobic capacity of professional soccer players before and after COVID-19 infection

Aerobic capacity of professional soccer players before and after COVID-19 infection

Acute and post-acute COVID-19 presentations in athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Effects of COVID-19 Home Confinement on Behavior, Perception of Threat, Stress and Training Patterns of Olympic and Paralympic Athletes

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