ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Panminerva Medica 2022 December;64(4):497-505

DOI: 10.23736/S0031-0808.21.04340-8

Copyright © 2021 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Cardiovascular effects of COVID-19 lockdown in professional football players

Elena CAVARRETTA ^{1, 2} ✉, Ilaria D’ANGELI ³, Maura GIAMMARINARO ³, Salvatore GERVASI ^{3, 4}, Maurizio FANCHINI ⁵, Andrea CAUSARANO ⁵, Vincenzo COSTA ⁵, Massimo MANARA ⁵, Noemi TERRIBILI ³, Luigi SCIARRA ⁶, Leonardo CALÒ ⁶, Chiara FOSSATI ^{3, 7}, Mariangela PERUZZI ^{1, 2}, Francesco VERSACI ⁸, Roberto CARNEVALE ^{1, 2}, Giuseppe BIONDI-ZOCCAI ², Giacomo FRATI ^{1, 9}

¹ Department of Medical-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University, Latina, Italy; ² Mediterranea Cardiocentro, Naples, Italy; ³ Villa Stuart Sport Clinic, FIFA Medical Center of Excellence, Rome, Italy; ⁴ Sports Medicine Unit, IRCCS A. Gemelli University Polyclinic Foundation, Rome, Italy; ⁵ AS Roma Football Club, Rome, Italy; ⁶ Division of Cardiology, Policlinico Casilino, Rome, Italy; ⁷ Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, Foro Italico University, Rome, Italy; ⁸ Division of Cardiology, Santa Maria Goretti Hospital, Latina, Italy; ⁹ IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, Isernia, Italy

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic with the stay-at-home orders and lockdown has dramatically forced athletes to stop team training and competitions, causing deep changes in habits and lifestyle. Aim of this study was to evaluate in a retrospective single center study the cardiovascular (CV) health and fitness of elite football player after COVID-19 lockdown in Italy and to compare such findings with the 2019 off-season period, in order to identify potential differences in the CV features and outcomes.
METHODS: All 29 professional football players of the first male team were enrolled before resuming training and competition after COVID-19 lockdown and underwent several exams including physical examination, resting and stress electrocardiography (ECG), echocardiography, spirometry and blood tests.
RESULTS: Median age was 27 years (23; 31), with no athlete being COVID-19 positive at the time of the evaluation. In comparison with the usual off-season 2-month detraining, significant differences were found for left ventricular (LV) mass (189 g [172; 212] vs. 181 g [167; 206], P=0.024) and LV Mass Index for body surface area (94 g/m² [85; 104] vs. 88 g/m² [79.5; 101.5], P=0.017), while LV mass/fat free mass remained unchanged (2.8 g/kg [2.6; 2.9] vs. 2.9 g/kg [2.6; 3.2], P=0.222). Respiratory function and metabolic profile were improved, while no significant changes were found in ECG findings, at rest and during exercise.
CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged abstinence from training and competitions induced by lockdown elicited significant changes in comparison with off-season in parameters ascribable to detraining, as the changes in LV mass, in respiratory function and in metabolic profile.

KEY WORDS: Athletes; Cardiovascular system; COVID-19; Quarantine