Background: Musculoskeletal injuries (MSK-I) are a serious problem in sports medicine. Modifiable and nonmodifiable factors are associated with susceptibility to these injuries. Thus, the aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of and identify the factors associated with MSK-I, including tendinopathy and joint and muscle injuries, in athletes. Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study, 627 athletes from rugby (n = 225), soccer (n = 172), combat sports (n = 86), handball (n = 82) and water polo (n = 62) were recruited at different sports training centres and competitions. Athlete profiles and the prevalence of MSK-I were assessed using a self-reported questionnaire. Only previous MSK-I with imaging confirmation and/or a positive physical exam by a specialized orthopaedist were considered. The association of the epidemiological, clinical and sports profiles of athletes with MSK-I was evaluated by a logistic regression model. Results: The mean age was 25 ± 6 years, and 60% of the athletes were male. The epidemiological, clinical and sports profiles of the athletes were different for the five sport groups. The MSK-I prevalence among all athletes was 76%, with 55% of MSK-I occurring in a joint, 48% occurring in a muscle and 30% being tendinopathy, and 19% of athletes had three investigated injuries. The MSK-I prevalence and injury locations were significantly different among sport groups. There was a predominance of joint injury in combat sports athletes (77%), muscle injury in handball athletes (67%) and tendinopathy in water polo athletes (52%). Age (≥30 years) was positively associated with joint (OR = 5.2 and 95% CI = 2.6-10.7) and muscle (OR = 4.9 and 95% CI = 2.4-10.1) injuries and tendinopathy (OR = 4.1 and 95% CI = 1.9-9.3). Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of tendinopathy and joint and muscle injuries among rugby, soccer, combat sports, handball and water polo athletes. The analysis of associated factors (epidemiological, clinical and sports profiles) and the presence of MSK-I in athletes suggests an approximately 4-5-fold increased risk for athletes ≥30 years of age. The identification of modifiable and non-modifiable factors can contribute to implementing surveillance programmes for MSK-I prevention.

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Background Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is a common and severe knee injury in sports and occurs mostly due to noncontact injuries. There is an increasing amount of evidence associating ACL rupture to single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and SNPs in the collagen type I genes can change its expression and tissue mechanical features. This study aimed to investigate the association between SNPs in COL1A1 and COL1A2 with sports-related ACL tears. Methods A total of 338 athletes from multiple sports modalities were analyzed: 146 were diagnosed with ACL rupture or underwent an ACL reconstruction surgery and 192 have no musculoskeletal injuries. SNPs were genotyped using validated TaqMan assays. The association of the polymorphisms with ACL rupture was evaluated by a multivariable logistic regression model, using odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results The age, sport modality, and training location were associated with an increased risk of a non-contact ACL tear. COL1A2 SNPs (rs42524 CC and rs2621215 GG) were associated with an increased risk of non-contact ACL injury (6 and 4-fold, respectively). However, no significant differences were detected in the distribution of COL1A1 rs1107946 and COL1A2 rs412777 SNPs between cases and controls. There was a protective association with ACL rupture (OR = 0.25; 95% CI = 0.07–0.96) between COL1A1 rs1107946 (GT or TT) and the wildtype genotypes of the three COL1A2 (rs412777, rs42524, rs2621215). COL1A2 rs42524 and rs2621215 SNPs were associated with non-contact ACL risk. Conclusion The combined analysis of COL1A1-COL1A2 genotypes suggests a gene-gene interaction in ACL rupture susceptibility.

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented significant challenges and implications for the sports community. Thus, this study aimed to describe the prevalence of COVID-19 in Brazilian athletes and identify the epidemiological, clinical, athletic, life and health factors associated with the disease in these individuals. A cross-sectional study was performed involving 414 athletes from 22 different sports using an online questionnaire from August to November 2020. The association between the athletes’ characteristics and COVID-19 was evaluated using a logistic regression model. The prevalence of COVID-19 was 8.5%, although only 40% of athletes reported having been tested. Being under 27 years of age (3-fold), having children (~5-fold), having a teammate test positive for COVID-19 (2.5-fold), and smoking (14-fold) were associated with a possible higher risk of disease. Almost 20% of athletes self-reported musculoskeletal injuries during the period of the pandemic that was studied. Athletes with a university education (P = 0.02), a profession other than sports (P < 0.001), those from a low-income family (P = 0.01), and public health system users (P = 0.04) were significantly less frequently tested for COVID-19, whereas international competitors, athletes who received a wage, and athletes who had a teammate who tested positive for COVID-19 were 2-, 3-, and 15-fold more likely to be tested for COVID-19, respectively. Approximately 26% of the athletes who tested negative or were untested reported more than three characteristic COVID-19 symptoms, and 11% of athletes who tested positive for COVID-19 were asymptomatic. The identification of modifiable (have children, smoking, and teammates positively tested) and non-modifiable (age under 27 years) factors related to COVID-19 in athletes can contribute to implementing surveillance programmes to decrease the incidence of COVID-19 in athletes and its negative impacts in sports.