Key result
COVID-19 infection was detected in 14.5% of adult professional soccer players in Russia, with 43.7% of cases being asymptomatic and the majority having a mild course that did not impair return to play.
Why the study?
Data regarding the incidence and clinical course of COVID-19 among professional soccer players were lacking, and studies examining complications were probabilistic.
Observational (n=710)
Yes
COVID-19 infection in adult professional soccer players was common but predominantly mild or asymptomatic, not impairing return to regular exercise or causing short-term cardiovascular complications.
Introduction At present, there are no data regarding the incidence and clinical course of COVID-19 among professional soccer players, and the studies examining putative complications of COVID-19 infections are probabilistic. Thus, examining the incidence of COVID-19 and various aspects of its clinical course in a group of adult professional soccer players would be of great practical interest. Methods The incidence, clinical course, and severity of COVID-19 infection, as well as the duration of treatment and return to play were studied by the questioning of the team physicians and medical records assessment in the group of adult professional soccer players representing the clubs of the Russian Premier-League (RPL) during the period of championship resumption from 01.04.2020 until 20.09.2020. Results COVID-19 infection was detected in 103 soccer players in the course of COVID-19 screening. This number comprises 14.5% of all soccer players which were on the rosters of RPL soccer teams and which were subject to regular COVID-19 testing. The asymptomatic course was observed in 43.7% of cases (n=45). These players were isolated and their clinical condition was monitored closely. Clinical symptoms were observed in 56.3% of cases (n=58), the most common symptoms being fatigue, headache, fever, and anosmia. Conclusions COVID-19 infection was commonly diagnosed among adult professional soccer players continuously residing in Russia. However, the majority of infections had a mild course and did not impair return to regular exercise.
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Bezuglov et al. (2020) conducted an observational in COVID-19 (n=710). COVID-19 infection vs. Uninfected players was evaluated on Incidence of COVID-19 infection. COVID-19 infection was detected in 14.5% of adult professional soccer players in Russia, with 43.7% of cases being asymptomatic and the majority having a mild course that did not impair return to play.
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