Short-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection and return to sport on neuromuscular performance, body composition, and mental health — A case series of well-trained young kayakers

SARS-CoV-2 Infection Decreases Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Time-Trial Performance Even Two Months After Returning to Regular Training — Insights from A Longitudinal Case Series of Well-Trained Kayak Athletes

“… 32 , 34 Moreover, symptoms of lower respiratory restriction (shortness of breath and chest pain) were minimal in our previous study. 7 The VE peak and VE/VCO 2 slope did not significantly change after infection in our case series ( Table 2 ), which is in accordance with previous studies. 32 , 35 Therefore, in the athletic population, pulmonary/ventilation function might not be the primary limitation of low VO 2peak and exercise intolerance in the long term, 5 , 6 or these factors could be gradually recovered over time.…”

“…The prevalence of self-reported acute symptoms was shown in our previous study, 7 and all athletes had no persistent previous symptoms at the post-test. The differences in testing variables pre- and post-infection are shown in Table 2 .…”

“… 8 , 10 Additionally, fat mass significantly increased after 8 weeks of RTS, which had no significant change during the early-stage RTS period (i.e., after 2 weeks of RTS) in our previous study. 7 This could be attributed to the limitation in appetite caused by symptoms of anosmia/dysgeusia (∼47–63 %) in the athletic population after SARS-CoV-2 infection reported by previous studies. 3 , 24 The abrupt eating habit changes (e.g., overeating) after symptoms may be resolved to result in fat gain.…”

“…The athletes' overall training structure remained unaltered before and after infection, as outlined in our previous study. 7 …”

“… 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , we recently showed that short-term SARS-CoV-2 infection does not decrease neuromuscular and anaerobic performance in well-trained athletes. 7 In fact, the effect of ARinf on “sports performance” among athletes including measures or variables of athletic success such as race completion times, changes in kinematics, and reactions/adaptations during the training period has been consistently overlooked. 1 , 2 , 4 In addition, the constant evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 poses ongoing challenges to global public health.…”