tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Vascul Pharmacol
. 2022 Mar 3;106975.
doi: 10.1016/j.vph.2022.106975. Online ahead of print.
Endothelial dysfunction in acute and long standing COVID-19: A prospective cohort study
Evangelos Oikonomou[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Nektarios Souvaliotis[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Stamatios Lampsas[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Gerasimos Siasos[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Garyphallia Poulakou[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Panagiotis Theofilis[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Theodore G Papaioannou[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Anna-Bettina Haidich[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Georgia Tsaousi[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Ntousopoulos Vasileios[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Sakka Vissaria[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Georgios Charalambous[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Vasiliki Rapti[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Sylvia Raftopoulou[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Konstantinos Syrigos[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Costas Tsioufis[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Dimitris Tousoulis[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Manolis Vavuranakis[SUP] 10 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is implicated by active endotheliitis, and cardiovascular morbidity. The long-COVID-19 syndrome implications in atherosclerosis have not been elucidated yet. We assessed the immediate, intermediate, and long-term effects of COVID-19 on endothelial function.
Methods: In this prospective cohort study, patients hospitalized for COVID-19 at the medical ward or Intensive Care Unit (ICU) were enrolled and followed up to 6 months post-hospital discharge. Medical history and laboratory examinations were performed while the endothelial function was assessed by brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD). Comparison with propensity score-matched cohort (control group) was performed at the acute (upon hospital admission) and follow-up (1 and 6 months) stages.
Results: Seventy-three patients diagnosed with COVID-19 (37% admitted in ICU) were recruited. FMD was significantly (p < 0.001) impaired in the COVID-19 group (1.65 ± 2.31%) compared to the control (6.51 ± 2.91%). ICU-treated subjects presented significantly impaired (p = 0.001) FMD (0.48 ± 1.01%) compared to those treated in the medical ward (2.33 ± 2.57%). During hospitalization, FMD was inversely associated with Interleukin-6 and Troponin I (p < 0.05 for all). Although, a significant improvement in FMD was noted during the follow-up (acute: 1.75 ± 2.19% vs. 1 month: 4.23 ± 2.02%, vs. 6 months: 5.24 ± 1.62%; p = 0.001), FMD remained impaired compared to control (6.48 ± 3.08%) at 1 month (p < 0.001) and 6 months (p = 0.01) post-hospital discharge.
Conclusion: COVID-19 patients develop a notable endothelial dysfunction, which is progressively improved over a 6-month follow-up but remains impaired compared to healthy controls subjects. Whether chronic dysregulation of endothelial function following COVID-19 could be accompanied by a residual risk for cardiovascular and thrombotic events merits further research.
Keywords: COVID-19; Endothelial function; Endothelium; Flow-mediated dilation.
. 2022 Mar 3;106975.
doi: 10.1016/j.vph.2022.106975. Online ahead of print.
Endothelial dysfunction in acute and long standing COVID-19: A prospective cohort study
Evangelos Oikonomou[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Nektarios Souvaliotis[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Stamatios Lampsas[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Gerasimos Siasos[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Garyphallia Poulakou[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Panagiotis Theofilis[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Theodore G Papaioannou[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Anna-Bettina Haidich[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Georgia Tsaousi[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Ntousopoulos Vasileios[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Sakka Vissaria[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Georgios Charalambous[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Vasiliki Rapti[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Sylvia Raftopoulou[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Konstantinos Syrigos[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Costas Tsioufis[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Dimitris Tousoulis[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Manolis Vavuranakis[SUP] 10 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 35248780
- DOI: 10.1016/j.vph.2022.106975
Abstract
Background: Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is implicated by active endotheliitis, and cardiovascular morbidity. The long-COVID-19 syndrome implications in atherosclerosis have not been elucidated yet. We assessed the immediate, intermediate, and long-term effects of COVID-19 on endothelial function.
Methods: In this prospective cohort study, patients hospitalized for COVID-19 at the medical ward or Intensive Care Unit (ICU) were enrolled and followed up to 6 months post-hospital discharge. Medical history and laboratory examinations were performed while the endothelial function was assessed by brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD). Comparison with propensity score-matched cohort (control group) was performed at the acute (upon hospital admission) and follow-up (1 and 6 months) stages.
Results: Seventy-three patients diagnosed with COVID-19 (37% admitted in ICU) were recruited. FMD was significantly (p < 0.001) impaired in the COVID-19 group (1.65 ± 2.31%) compared to the control (6.51 ± 2.91%). ICU-treated subjects presented significantly impaired (p = 0.001) FMD (0.48 ± 1.01%) compared to those treated in the medical ward (2.33 ± 2.57%). During hospitalization, FMD was inversely associated with Interleukin-6 and Troponin I (p < 0.05 for all). Although, a significant improvement in FMD was noted during the follow-up (acute: 1.75 ± 2.19% vs. 1 month: 4.23 ± 2.02%, vs. 6 months: 5.24 ± 1.62%; p = 0.001), FMD remained impaired compared to control (6.48 ± 3.08%) at 1 month (p < 0.001) and 6 months (p = 0.01) post-hospital discharge.
Conclusion: COVID-19 patients develop a notable endothelial dysfunction, which is progressively improved over a 6-month follow-up but remains impaired compared to healthy controls subjects. Whether chronic dysregulation of endothelial function following COVID-19 could be accompanied by a residual risk for cardiovascular and thrombotic events merits further research.
Keywords: COVID-19; Endothelial function; Endothelium; Flow-mediated dilation.