Sports, Myocarditis and COVID-19: Diagnostics, Prevention and Return-to-play Strategies

Int J Sports Med DOI: 10.1055/a-1810-5314Myocarditis is an umbrella term for non-ischemic myocardial inflammation and remains a leading cause of sudden cardiac death in active individuals and athletes. Accurate diagnosing is challenging and diseases could often remain undetected. In the majority of cases, acute myocarditis resolves favourably. However, a relevant proportion of patients may have an increased risk of prognostically relevant cardiac arrhythmias and/or the development and progression of maladaptive myocardial remodelling (dilated cardiomyopathy). This review provides current knowledge on myocarditis and sports with special regard to the COVID-19 pandemic. Possible causes, common symptoms and proposed diagnostics are summarized. The relevance of temporary avoidance of intensive sports activities for both the prevention and therapy of acute myocarditis is discussed. Risk stratification, specific return-to-play recommendations and proposed follow-up diagnostics (also after COVID-19 infection) are presented. [...] Georg Thieme Verlag Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, GermanyArticle in Thieme eJournals: Table of contents  |  Abstract  |  open access Full text
Source: International Journal of Sports Medicine - Category: Sports Medicine Authors: Tags: Review Source Type: research