Evaluation of maximal oxygen uptake pre- and post-COVID-19 in elite footballers in Argentina

Introduction and objectives: The SARS-CoV-2 infection appears to cause functional impairment of cardiopulmonary performance in many athletes. We studied the post-COVID-19 impact on the cardiopulmonary system, through the maximal ergospirometry test, in elite professional soccer players. Material and method: The sample consisted of 10 AFA (Argentine Football Association) first division soccer players, who underwent pre and post COVID-19 infection maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) tests. The variables analyzed were absolute and relative VO2max, maximal aerobic speed (MAS), first ventilatory threshold (VT1), second ventilatory threshold (VT2), maximal heart rate (HRmax) and respiratory exercise ratio (RER). Results: The mean age was 22.4 ± 6.9 years, body mass 71.5 ± 7.1 kg and height 176.2 ± 6.9 cm. Post COVID-19 subjects significantly decreased VO2 VT2 by 18% (P = 0.028) and RER significantly decreased by 5% (P = 0.02). HRmax was the only variable that significantly increased post COVID-19 by 1.8% (P = 0.04). No significant changes was observed in body mass 71.5 ± 7.1 vs 73.9 ± 7.4 (P< 0.118), VO2max 61.7 ± 5.2 vs 59.0 ± 5.1 ml·kg·min-1 (P<0,213), MAS 18.7 ± 0.9 vs 18.6 ± 0.5 km·h-1 (P<0,739), VO2VT1 39.2 ± 4.0 vs 37.8 ± 4.3 ml·kg·min-1 (P<0.460), speed al VT1 11.6 ± 0.5 vs 11.8 ± 0.6 (P <0.480) and other variables. Conclusion: It seems reasonable and safe to evaluate athletes after SARS-CoV-2 infection with ergospirometry to ensure health conditions and trainability. In this type of athletes (elite soccer players), the use of the second ventilatory threshold (VT2) can be used as a strategy to observe post-COVID-19 changes. The decrease found may be related more to the cessation of training than to cardiopulmonary damage.