Key result
Long Covid is associated with a three-fold higher incidence of major cardiovascular events compared to patients without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Why the study?
Existing literature on the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of cardiac conditions in long Covid is limited and largely derived from retrospective observational studies.
Long Covid is associated with a significantly increased risk of diverse cardiovascular complications, including heart failure, arrhythmias, and ischemic heart disease, driven by subacute inflammation and autoimmune mechanisms.
May prompt CV surveillance in long Covid; leaves open causal confirmation and management trials.
The post-Covid-19 pandemic period has raised several questions regarding the new conditions associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, one of which is the so-called long Covid. Among its characteristics, cardiac involvement stands out as a central element of this new pathology. From a pathophysiological perspective, there are different mechanisms through which this condition could be triggered, either directly due to the subacute inflammation of the initial hyperinflammatory disease, or indirectly, associated with the activation of autoimmune mechanisms. Clinical manifestations encompass a spectrum of symptoms and signs associated with major cardiological syndromes, such as palpitations, dyspnea, dizziness, or angina. Each of these symptoms reflects the involvement of different cardiac structures, grouped into manifestations of the conduction system, heart failure, cardiomyopathy, pericarditis, and acute or chronic coronary heart disease, respectively. To date, the existing literature on the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of these different conditions is limited, based on the identification of predictors derived mainly from retrospective observational studies. Similarly, recommendations are grounded in the extrapolation of previous knowledge in the field. We pose the question of whether prolonged Covid will be considered a new
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Parra-Lucares et al. (2024) conducted a review in Long Covid and cardiovascular complications. SARS-CoV-2 infection (Long Covid) vs. No prior SARS-CoV-2 infection was evaluated. Long Covid is associated with a three-fold higher incidence of major cardiovascular events compared to patients without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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