Heart inflammation is rare in Big Ten Conference athletes who’ve had COVID-19 and in most cases it causes no obvious symptoms. That’s according to the first data published from the Big Ten COVID-19 Cardiac Registry. Data published Thursday in JAMA Cardiology show that 37 of nearly 1,600 athletes, or about 2%, had evidence of heart inflammation on imaging tests. Follow-up testing showed clear scans a month later in some athletes, but about 40% of the 37 had scarring. The researchers don’t know whether these athletes face substantial health risks, although heart inflammation is a leading cause of sudden death in athletes. It is not known if inflammation found was caused by COVID-19 or something else.
