Key result
Persistent cardiac symptoms one year post-COVID-19 show normal LVEF and cardiopulmonary fitness versus healthy controls.
Why the study?
Persistent cardiac symptoms are increasingly reported following COVID-19, but the underlying cause of these symptoms remains unknown.
Do patients with persistent self-reported cardiac symptoms 1 year post-COVID-19 have objective evidence of cardiac dysfunction or reduced cardiopulmonary fitness?
Cohort (n=22)
Do patients with persistent self-reported cardiac symptoms 1 year post-COVID-19 have objective evidence of cardiac dysfunction or reduced cardiopulmonary fitness?
Patients with persistent self-reported cardiac symptoms 1 year after COVID-19 infection show no objective evidence of cardiac disease or reduced cardiopulmonary fitness on comprehensive non-invasive testing.
Aims: Persistent cardiac symptoms are an increasingly reported phenomenon following COVID-19. However, the underlying cause of cardiac symptoms is unknown. This study aimed to identify the underlying causes, if any, of these symptoms 1 year following acute COVID-19 infection. Methods and Results: 22 individuals with persistent cardiac symptoms were prospectively investigated using echocardiography, cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), 6-min walking test, cardio-pulmonary exercise testing and electrocardiography. A median of 382 days (IQR 368, 442) passed between diagnosis of COVID-19 and investigation. As a cohort their echocardiography, CMR, 6-min walking test and exercise testing results were within the normal ranges. There were no differences in left ventricular ejection fraction (61.45 ± 6.59 %), global longitudinal strain (19.80 ± 3.12 %) or tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (24.96 ± 5.55 mm) as measured by echocardiography compared to a healthy control group. VO2 max (2045.00 ± 658.40 ml/min), % expected VO2 max (114.80 ± 23.08 %) and 6-minute distance walked (608.90 ± 54.51 m) exceeded that expected for the patient cohort, whilst Troponin I (5.59 ± 6.59 ng/l) and Nt-proBNP (88.18 ± 54.27 ng/l) were normal. Conclusion: Among a cohort of 22 patients with self-reported persistent cardiac symptoms, we identified no underlying cardiac disease or reduced cardiopulmonary fitness 1 year following COVID-19.
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Wood et al. (2022) conducted a cohort in persistent cardiac symptoms following COVID-19 (n=22). COVID-19 infection vs. healthy control group was evaluated on cardiac performance and cardiopulmonary fitness.
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