The utility of cardiopulmonary exercise testing in athletes and physically active individuals with or without persistent symptoms after COVID-19

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) may capture potential impacts of COVID-19 during exercise. We described CPET data on athletes and physically active individuals with or without cardiorespiratory persistent symptoms. Participants' assessment included medical history and physical examination, cardiac troponin T, resting electrocardiogram, spirometry and CPET. Persistent symptoms were defined as fatigue, dyspnea, chest pain, dizziness, tachycardia, and exertional intolerance persisting >2 months after COVID-19 diagnosis. A total of 46 participants were included; sixteen (34.8%) were asymptomatic and thirty participants (65.2%) reported persistent symptoms, with fatigue and dyspnea being the most reported ones (43.5 and 28.1%). There were a higher proportion of symptomatic participants with abnormal data for slope of pulmonary ventilation to carbon dioxide production (VE/VCO slope;