How dangerous can it be if I do sports despite having a cold?
Due to the disease, the body is busy fighting the germs and is not as efficient as usual. Symptoms such as coughing and rhinitis can be intensified by the strain. In the case of fever, the circulation is usually so strained that sporting activity is very overtaxing.
This can lead to fainting spells, for example, which can result in all kinds of injuries (from harmless bruises and contusions to severe cranial contusions with concussion and permanent brain damage). Myocarditis is the dreaded disease that can occur when people exercise despite having a cold. This is an inflammation of the heart muscle.
This myocarditis can occur in both bacterial and viral colds. In about one to five percent of viral colds, the heart muscle is also affected by the cold, so that myocarditis can develop. Myocarditis usually manifests itself only when the reduced performance and fatigue do not disappear even a long time after the actual cold.
However, especially in young athletes, myocarditis can cause permanent damage to the heart muscles. This leads to cardiac insufficiency, i.e. heart failure. In the most severe cases this can only be cured by a heart transplant and in some cases even leads to death.
However, those who take a one to two week sports break after a cold are usually protected from myocarditis. Anyone who starts exercising again too early after a cold, or sets the intensity too high, not only risks a relapse of the cold, but also risks the health of his heart. Once the cold has spread and developed into an inflammation of the heart muscle, life may be in danger.
In addition, the heart muscle inflammation can lead to long-term cardiac arrhythmia. It is therefore better to allow your body to rest and recover before you run an increased risk of developing a secondary disease. Myocarditis is often diagnosed late, as many of the symptoms are similar to those of a common flu or cold.
Only through more detailed examinations can heart muscle inflammation be diagnosed and then treated. After a cold, reason should prevail and the body should have time to recover. Otherwise there is a risk of damaging and weakening the heart in the long term.
