The British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM), renowned scientific journal, published on May 7 an article by Helder Dores and Nuno Cardim , cardiologists at Hospital da Luz Lisboa, where they analyse, from the point of view of Sports Cardiology, the risks and main precautions that athletes recovering from covid-19 should take , when returning to practice and competition. “Return to sports practice after covid-19: the vision of sports cardiology” is the title of the article published in the BSJM editorial. Helder Dores and Nuno Cardim point out the following alerts on this controversial topic, so much on the order of the day: From the clinical point of view, it seems to us premature to restart exercise before a clear control of this infection. A better clarification of the disease evolution and the potential long-term cardiorespiratory complications is also needed. It is important to underline that, as described in other topics of sports cardiology, exercise training may contribute to the development of some cardiovascular conditions, even in apparently healthy individuals. We opine that in athletes clinically recovered from a proved infection (even those with mild disease, without cardiac symptoms or hospital admission), a subclinical myocardial injury may be present. We recommend a medical evaluation before the athlete resume trainings, eventually with exams as transthoracic echocardiogram, maximal exercise testing and 24-hour Holter monitoring to exclude subclinical disease. In this context of uncertainty, it is essential to assure equity and safe conditions for the protection of all stakeholders to resume sports activities—a single athlete can be a vector of transmission. For this purpose, physicians should be involved in the decision and contribute to establish specific protocols to evaluate athletes affected by COVID-19. Cardiac evaluation is of utmost importance due to the direct complications of the disease and the potential adverse effects of some medications used for the treatment of COVID-19 (eg, steroids; antibiotics; and antimalaric, antiviral, anti-inflammatory or immunosuppressant drugs), with implications for exercise training. Helder Dores is the coordinator of the area of Sports Cardiology and Nuno Cardim is the coordinator of the Unit of Cardiac Imaging at the Laboratory of Echocardiography and of the Centre of Hereditary Cardiac Diseases and Cardiomyopathy, at Hospital da Luz Lisboa. Both have a PhD in Medicine and are university lecturers. Return to play after COVID-19: a sport cardiologist’s view
