Can a patient with Corona virus that causes Covid-19 disease be allowed to exercise?

What are the risks to his health?

What is the relationship of exercising during a Covid-19 infection with myocarditis?

Answers and others are in this report.

We will first answer the question and then go into details: A Covid-19 patient should not exercise during the period of his illness, and this applies even if the person does not have symptoms or has mild symptoms.

Also, after the patient has recovered from Covid-19, it is forbidden to return to his sports program suddenly and at once, but rather to return slowly and gradually, after consulting the doctor.

Why?

Let's get into the details.

According to the data available to us on Covid-19 disease, even in cases of mild disease, it may cause damage to the heart and lungs.

There are data indicating that the virus can cause heart damage even in people who have had mild symptoms or have not had any symptoms at all, especially if these people exercise during the infection.

Studies and data documented the incidence of cases of myocarditis in patients with Covid-19, and this was also recorded in patients who were in good health and previous physical fitness and who suffered from mild symptoms due to infection with Covid-19, and did not need to enter the hospital.

And myocarditis is a life-threatening disease that accompanies a wide range of symptoms. Viral infection is the most common cause of myocarditis in developed countries, but other causes include bacterial and primary infections, toxins, drug interactions and autoimmune diseases, according to a report in the journal Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases. (Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases).

Cell damage

And acute myocarditis leads to damage to the muscle cells (myocyte) in the heart, which in turn activates the immune system, leading to severe inflammation, and in most patients the immune reaction is ultimately regulated, and then the heart muscle recovers.

However, persistent myocarditis results in some cases in muscle cell damage, severe heart failure and even death.

Myocarditis can weaken it and, in rare cases, cause it to stop suddenly.

According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), researchers examined 100 men and women in Germany who had recovered from Covid-19, and found signs of myocarditis in 78% of them.

It is striking that most of those were in good health, that is, they did not suffer from pre-existing medical conditions, before they became infected.

In another study, scientists from the "Gladstone Institutes" - based in San Francisco - infected heart cells with the Corona virus in a "Petri dish" test, and found that the Corona virus tore the muscle fibers.

Bruce Conklin - one of the study's co-authors - described in press statements what he saw as a "massacre" that was different from anything seen with other diseases.

Therefore, exercising during the time of illness or immediately after recovery may increase the risk of the following:

1- The occurrence of a heart attack as a result of an undiagnosed inflammation of the heart muscle that occurred due to Covid-19.

2- A stroke occurs in the heart or lungs, as according to data and studies, having Covid-19 may be associated with an increased risk of blood clots forming.

The following are tips that you should follow before exercising if you have contracted the emerging coronavirus or suspect you have contracted it:

1- Anyone who suffers from severe illness or has been hospitalized as a result of Covid-19 needs to consult a doctor about whether it is safe to exercise, and even people who have suffered from a mild illness or have not shown symptoms need to take precautions before exercising once Others, according to Dr. Jordan de Metzel in the New York Times.

2- Do not exercise if you are still ill, and do not exercise if you have active symptoms, including fever, cough, chest pain, shortness of breath at rest, or heart palpitations.

3- Even if you only have mild symptoms with no chest pain or shortness of breath, you should wait until at least 7 days without symptoms before returning to exercises.

4- Start with only 50% of the normal intensity of the exercise, and a gradual return to full activity is recommended.

5- Stop exercising immediately if symptoms return.

6- If you suffer from chest pain, call 911 immediately, as there may be symptoms of a heart attack.

Chest pain is the most common symptom, and some people may feel other symptoms, such as severe pain in the shoulder or back, severe pain in the neck or jaw, widespread pain in the right or left arm, nausea and shortness of breath.

Watch for these symptoms, especially if you know you are prone to heart disease, and call 911.

7- If you experience any symptoms such as shortness of breath or heart palpitations, contact your doctor, according to Saurab Rajpal, a cardiologist and assistant professor of internal medicine at Ohio State University, for Wired.

8- Dr. Rajpal says that if your test result is positive for Covid-19, you should take a few weeks off before gradually returning to the level of training you were in before.