Comparative Analysis of Heart Rate Variability and Arterial Stiffness in Elite Male Athletes after COVID-19

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 s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of clinical medicine 2024-10, Vol.13 (19), p.5990
Main Authors: Ammar, Mohamed M, Ben Said, Noureddine M, Ben Said, Younes N, Abdelsalam, Ahmed M, Levushkin, Sergey P, Laptev, Aleksey, Inoubli, Mokhtar, Chlif, Mehdi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arteries
Athletes
Blood pressure
Body composition
Body mass index
Cardiac arrhythmia
Cardiovascular system
COVID-19
Cross-sectional studies
Health aspects
Health care
Heart beat
Heart rate
Human health and pathology
Infections
Life Sciences
Mechanical properties
Metabolism
Patient outcomes
Physiology
Young adults
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Summary: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.
ISSN:2077-0383
2077-0383
DOI:10.3390/jcm13195990