Months after recovering from covid-19, some college athletes show signs of heart inflammation brought on by a rare condition called myocarditis that may be linked to covid-19 exposure, doctors reported in JAMA Cardiology.
Ohio State University researchers mapped the hearts of 26 male and female student athletes there who tested positive for covid-19 using a process called cardiac magnetic resonance. They found evidence of myocarditis in 15 percent of the athletes, while another 30 percent had cellular damage or swelling that could not be definitively linked to the condition, The Scientist reported.
All 26 students caught the virus between June and August 2020. The time between their diagnosis and testing for myocarditis ranged from 11 days to almost two months. Twelve of the athletes reported mild symptoms and the rest were asymptomatic.
“Myocarditis is a significant cause of sudden cardiac death in competitive athletes,” the authors wrote in the study.
The condition causes 75 deaths each year in athletes age 13 to 25, according to a Myocarditis Foundation report. It affects 22 people per 100,000 each year but is a recognized cause of death among professional athletes, even in the absence of previous heart trouble, The Scientist reported.
Among NCAA athletes who died of sudden cardiac arrest, 10 percent experienced myocarditis, according to a 2015 study.
“Recent studies have raised concerns of myocardial inflammation after recovery from coronavirus, even in asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic patients,” the study authors wrote.
Myocarditis is typically caused by a viral infection with symptoms ranging from chest pain, fatigue, shortness of breath, to a negative impact on heart rate and rhythm such as arrhythmias, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Listen to GHOGH with Jamarlin Martin | Episode 73: Jamarlin Martin Jamarlin makes the case for why this is a multi-factor rebellion vs. just protests about George Floyd. He discusses the Democratic Party’s sneaky relationship with the police in cities and states under Dem control, and why Joe Biden is a cop and the Steve Jobs of mass incarceration.
“Heart conditions like myocarditis are associated with some cases of #COVID19. Severe cardiac damage is rare but has occurred, even in young, healthy people,” the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tweeted on Sept. 17.
That tweet resulted in an accusation against the CDC of fearmongering. “This is more fear! Myocarditis has long been associated with viral infections , not new to COVID-19 …Google it!” a Twitter user said.
Medical experts have warned of links between coronavirus and heart damage, especially in young people, Fox News reported. A respiratory illness, covid-19 most often impacts the lungs, but damage to the lungs can lead to serious heart complications, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health said.
Damaged lungs can prevent oxygen from reaching the heart and other tissues.
Myocarditis has been found in at least five Big Ten Conference athletes and among players in other conferences, ESPN reported in August. At least 12 Power 5 schools identified athletes with a post–covid-19 myocardial injury, including asymptomatic patients. “Initially we thought if you didn’t have significant symptoms that you are probably at less risk,” Matthew Martinez, director of sports cardiology for Atlantic Health System, told ESPN. “We are now finding that that may not be true.”
Read more: New Study: White NCAA Students Profit From Poor Black Peers
