{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,23]],"date-time":"2025-12-23T18:57:55Z","timestamp":1766516275140,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":70,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,5]],"date-time":"2025-02-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1738713600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Coordena\u00e7\u00e3o de Aperfei\u00e7oamento de Pessoal de N\u00edvel Superior","award":["2020.08969.BD","E-26\/210.949\/2021","309065\/2021-6"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2020.08969.BD","E-26\/210.949\/2021","309065\/2021-6"]}]},{"name":"European Social Funds (FSE) and national funds of MCTES","award":["2020.08969.BD","E-26\/210.949\/2021","309065\/2021-6"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2020.08969.BD","E-26\/210.949\/2021","309065\/2021-6"]}]},{"name":"FCT-Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e Tecnologia","award":["2020.08969.BD","E-26\/210.949\/2021","309065\/2021-6"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2020.08969.BD","E-26\/210.949\/2021","309065\/2021-6"]}]},{"name":"Brazilian agency Funda\u00e7\u00e3o Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo \u00e0 Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro\u2014FAPERJ","award":["2020.08969.BD","E-26\/210.949\/2021","309065\/2021-6"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2020.08969.BD","E-26\/210.949\/2021","309065\/2021-6"]}]},{"name":"Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient\u00edfico e Tecnol\u00f3gico (CNPq)","award":["2020.08969.BD","E-26\/210.949\/2021","309065\/2021-6"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2020.08969.BD","E-26\/210.949\/2021","309065\/2021-6"]}]},{"name":"UERJ","award":["2020.08969.BD","E-26\/210.949\/2021","309065\/2021-6"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2020.08969.BD","E-26\/210.949\/2021","309065\/2021-6"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sports"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Maximal oxygen uptake (V.O2max) assesses athletic performance; however, its values are inconsistent in post-COVID-19 athletes. This study aimed to analyze the dynamics of V.O2max in post-COVID-19 athletes. Observational studies were identified by screening the PubMed database published up to 17 July 2023. The initial electronic search found 320 studies. Of these, 26 employing the cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) to assess aerobic fitness were selected. Of the 2625 pooled athletes, 1464 were infected and considered as the post-COVID-19 group, either asymptomatic or symptomatic, while the remaining 1161, who were uninfected or had V.O2max results prior to infection, were defined as the infection-free group. Age and V.O2max were differently distributed between post-COVID-19 athletes and those without infection (p = 0.03 in both). Persistent symptoms athletes had 8 mL\/Kg\/min lower V.O2max than those without infection (p = 0.04). In addition, post-infected athletes who underwent CPET after 12 weeks showed a significant reduction of 2.9 mL\/Kg\/min in V.O2max according to the increase in body mass index (BMI). The pooled analysis showed that aerobic fitness was reduced in athletes post-COVID-19. V.O2max was negatively correlated with BMI in those who underwent CPET at 12 weeks, suggesting that symptoms persist beyond 12 weeks, affecting return-to-play.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/sports13020040","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,5]],"date-time":"2025-02-05T10:09:52Z","timestamp":1738750192000},"page":"40","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Aerobic Fitness Dynamics in Post-COVID-19 Athletes: Implications in the Return-to-Play Performance"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Lucas Rafael","family":"Lopes","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Sciences (LAPESF), Pharmacy Department, Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), Rio de Janeiro 23070-200, Brazil"},{"name":"Program of Post-Graduation in Public Health and Environment, National School of Public Health, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro 21041-210, Brazil"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3010-8373","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rui","family":"Medeiros","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Molecular Oncology and Viral Pathology Group, Research Center of IPO Porto (CI-IPOP), Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department, Clinical Pathology SV,RISE@CI-IPOP (Health Research Network), Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO Porto), Porto Comprehensive Cancer Centre (Porto.CCC), 4200-072 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto (FMUP), 4200-072 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"ICBAS\u2014Instituto de Ci\u00eancias Biom\u00e9dicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Research Department, Portuguese League Against Cancer (NRNorte), 4200-172 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Faculty of Health Sciences, Fernando Pessoa University, 4200-150 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3680-7757","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Val\u00e9ria","family":"Tavares","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Molecular Oncology and Viral Pathology Group, Research Center of IPO Porto (CI-IPOP), Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department, Clinical Pathology SV,RISE@CI-IPOP (Health Research Network), Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO Porto), Porto Comprehensive Cancer Centre (Porto.CCC), 4200-072 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto (FMUP), 4200-072 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"ICBAS\u2014Instituto de Ci\u00eancias Biom\u00e9dicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4993-4467","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francisca","family":"Dias","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Molecular Oncology and Viral Pathology Group, Research Center of IPO Porto (CI-IPOP), Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department, Clinical Pathology SV,RISE@CI-IPOP (Health Research Network), Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO Porto), Porto Comprehensive Cancer Centre (Porto.CCC), 4200-072 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7301-3644","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marcus Vin\u00edcius Galv\u00e3o","family":"Amaral","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Division, National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedics (INTO), Rio de Janeiro 20940-070, Brazil"}]},{"given":"Rodrigo Ara\u00fajo","family":"Goes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Division, National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedics (INTO), Rio de Janeiro 20940-070, Brazil"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4088-044X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jo\u00e3o Antonio","family":"Matheus Guimar\u00e3es","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Division, National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedics (INTO), Rio de Janeiro 20940-070, Brazil"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7683-0698","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jamila Alessandra","family":"Perini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Sciences (LAPESF), Pharmacy Department, Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), Rio de Janeiro 23070-200, Brazil"},{"name":"Program of Post-Graduation in Public Health and Environment, National School of Public Health, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro 21041-210, Brazil"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"World Health Organization (WHO) (2024, September 20). 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