https://gizmodo.com/what-to-know-about-the-research-into-athletes-hearts-an-1846739103 Recent findings, including a new study out this week, should reassure people about fears that even mild covid-19 could damage the heart in young and fit people. Despite earlier research that found reason for concern, athletes don’t seem to be at high risk for heart issues related to the viral illness after all.
Last September, a small study of MRI scans from researchers at The Ohio State University raised alarm bells. ...The entire saga should also provide a good lesson in being careful about how we interpret and talk about emerging covid-19 research. Severe covid-19 does commonly affect the heart, and given how little we knew about the disease at the time (and even today), it wasn’t ludicrous to be worried that milder-seeming cases could still have a big impact on people’s hearts. But the study that prompted the most fear about this risk was very small (26 people), and it’s often true that smaller studies don’t turn out to be validated by larger ones down the line.