Mild and moderate COVID-19 infections can cause lingering changes to a patient’s heart and cardiovascular system, according to a new analysis published in European Heart Journal.
“Autopsy studies indicate that SARS-CoV-2 affects multiple organs beyond the respiratory tract, including the heart, brain, and kidneys,” wrote lead author Elina Larissa Petersen, a cardiology specialist at the University Heart and Vascular Center in Hamburg, Germany, and colleagues. “Some patients continue to suffer from heterogeneous symptoms after the acute phase of critical illness. These conditions are described as ‘post-COVID-19 syndrome’ or—if symptoms continue longer than six months—as ‘long COVID-19 syndrome’. Clinical, imaging, or laboratory findings should accompany the diagnosis of post- or long COVID-19.”
Petersen et al. reviewed data from more than 400 patients with a prior COVID-19 infection and more than 1,300 matched controls. Female patients made up 52.6% of the COVID-19 group and 54.1% of the control group. The median age was 55 years old for the COVID-19 group and 57 years old for the control group.
Of the COVID-19 patients included in this study, 3.2% never experienced symptoms, 58.4% presented with mild symptoms and 31.2% presented with moderate symptoms. The median time between initial diagnosis and follow-up for this study was 9.6 months.
All patients from the COVID-19 and control groups underwent the same assessment, which included body plethysmography, transthoracic echocardiography, cardiac MRI, compression ultrasound and routine laboratory work.
Overall, a prior COVID-19 infection was associated with consistent subclinical changes, including lower measures of left and right ventricular function and a higher concentration of certain cardiac biomarkers. Even these slight changes in ventricular function, over time, can increase a patient’s risk of mortality.
Cardiac MRI results were similar between the two patient groups, the authors added, but signs of deep venous thrombosis were much more common among patients with a history of COVID-19. Changes in total lung volume and airway resistance were also observed, and glomerular filtration rates revealed an effect on kidney function.
Petersen and colleagues did emphasize that that they saw no signs of structural brain damage or quality-of-life impairment.
“Whereas the impact on very long-term outcome remains unclear, a standardized clinical exam of these conditions after recovery is recommended,” they wrote.
Read the full analysis here.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.