Cardiac Baroreflex Is Preserved After the Recovery From COVID‐19 Men and Women

We sought to investigate whether mild COVID‐19 impairs cardiac baroreflex sensitivity (cBRS), using the modified Oxford protocol, in young healthy men and women 12–14 weeks after recovering from the infection. Participants were distributed into two groups: Non‐COVID‐19 group (NCG: men n = 6 [30 ± 3years; 26 ± 1 kg/m 2 ] and women n = 5 [25 ± 1 years; 25 ± 1 kg/m 2 ]) and recovered from COVID‐19 group (RCG: men n = 6 [29 ± 3 years; 25 ± 1 kg/m 2 ] and women n = 10 [32 ± 4 years; 22 ± 1 kg/m 2 ]), the RCG tested positive (RT‐PCR) 12 to 14 weeks before the protocol. Beat‐to‐beat finger blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were measured during a bolus of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and phenylephrine (PHE), in a control condition and during cold pressor test (CPT) and moderate dynamic handgrip exercise (GRIP). Resting systolic BP was higher in the RCG (135 ± 14 mmHg vs. 122 ± 12 mmHg, p = 0.01). Both CPT and GRIP maneuvers increased HR and BP; the bolus of SNP diminished BP and evoked a reflex‐mediated increase in HR; PHE increased BP, resulting in a reflex‐mediated decrease in HR. Of note, cBRS for decrease or increase of BP did not differ between groups under the studied conditions: control (SNP, p = 0.39; PHE, p = 0.50); CPT (SNP, p = 0.09; PHE: p = 0.82); and GRIP (SNP, p = 0.35; PHE, p = 0.53). In conclusion, mild COVID‐19 did not seem to impair cBRS in healthy young men and women 12–14 weeks after recovering from the infection.