Heart inflammation is rare in Big Ten Conference athletes who’ve had COVID-19 and in most cases causes no obvious symptoms, according to the first data published from a league registry. The results from the Big Ten COVID-19 Cardiac Registry show just 37 of nearly 1,600 athletes — a little over 2% — had evidence of heart inflammation on imaging tests. Heart inflammation has been found in other COVID-19 patients, and concern that the virus could increase risks for athletes led the league to create the registry last September. That same month, the Big Ten mandated heart screening including imaging tests for athletes with positive COVID-19 tests, before allowing them to return to play. Athletes who develop heart inflammation should be sidelined until symptoms disappear and imaging scans are normal, he said.

Source: Los Angeles Times May 28, 2021 11:02 UTC