Key result
COVID-19 in athletes carries low CV risk, with pericardial effusion occurring in only ~2%.
Why the study?
The prevalence of cardiovascular complications associated with COVID-19 infection in athletes was not well established.
Meta-Analysis (n=11,182)
Yes
Effect estimate: 1.9% (95% CI 0.08-4.4)
Cardiovascular complications following COVID-19 infection in athletes are rare, with pericardial effusion being the most common at 1.9% prevalence and no reported mortality.
Low complication rates support individualized return-to-play decisions; leaves open need for prospective studies to refine screening.
This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the prevalence of cardiovascular complications associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection in athletes. A comprehensive search was conducted across PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and the Virtual Health Library using the terms ("COVID-19" OR "SARS-CoV-2") AND ("athletes" OR "athlete") AND ("pericarditis" OR "myocarditis" OR "pericardial effusion" OR "cardiovascular" OR "cardiac"). Of 671 records, 20 studies met the inclusion criteria. The most commonly reported cardiovascular abnormality was pericardial effusion, with a pooled prevalence of 1.9% (95% CI 0.08-4.4), followed by myocarditis (1.5%; 95% CI 0.9-2.7), pericarditis (1.3%; 95% CI 0.8-2.1), and myopericarditis (0.9%; 95% CI 0.2-3.4). No cases of cardiovascular or all-cause mortality were reported among athletes with COVID-19. These findings suggest that cardiovascular complications are rare in athletic populations following COVID-19 infection, potentially reflecting the protective effect of a robust immune system and high baseline cardiovascular fitness.
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Zahyan et al. (2025) conducted a meta-analysis in COVID-19 in athletes (n=11,182). COVID-19 was evaluated on Prevalence of pericardial effusion (1.9%, 95% CI 0.08-4.4). COVID-19 infection in athletes is associated with a low prevalence of cardiovascular complications, most commonly pericardial effusion (1.9%) and myocarditis (1.5%), with no reported mortality.
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