The Effect of Sports Activities on the Respiratory and Cardiovascular Systems Function during the Coronavirus Pandemic

With the spread of the coronavirus and considering the importance of sports activities in the physiological and psychological conditions of people, staying active during this period is of particular importance in preventing the spread of the coronavirus. Therefore, regular exercise has many benefits for health, including improving the performance of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. In this study, the effect of sports activities on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems function during the coronavirus pandemic has been reviewed.

This study was review research. It was done by searching Persian and English articles available in SID, Magiran, CIVILICA, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and PubMed databases by using keywords Sports activities, Respiratory, Cardiovascular, Coronavirus, COVID-19, and their Persian equivalent without a time limit. Out of a total of 83 review articles, 57 articles that met the inclusion criteria were selected and investigated.

In December 2019, a virus called the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) was first identified in Wuhan, China, and quickly turned into a global pandemic. Respiratory and cardiovascular viral infections account for the highest mortality rate. Many patients with COVID-19 have severe respiratory failure. Also, COVID-19 causes extensive tissue damage in the heart and the infection caused in the heart muscle leads to acute heart attack, cardiovascular failure, and arrhythmia. Therefore, regular sports activity taking into account preventive health measures is considered one of the most important factors in dealing with coronavirus infections.

Based on the studies, it seems that doing regular sports activity of moderate intensity can strengthen the body's immune system and reduce the risk of viral infections in the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. However, sports activity of high intensity or for a long time causes harmful effects and weakens the body's immune system, and increases the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular infections during the coronavirus pandemic.