March 3, 2026

Morphological and immunohistochemical characteristics of the heart of patients with COVID-19

Key Points

Myocardial changes may indicate potential cardiovascular complications after COVID-19 exposure, emphasizing the need for monitoring.
In severe cases, the detection of CD3- and CD68-positive cells points to significant immune response involvement in cardiac tissue.
Elevated vWF levels and reduced CD31 expression suggest endothelial dysfunction linked with SARS-CoV-2 infection.
These findings highlight the importance of understanding cardiac implications in post-COVID recovery planning.

Abstract

NP expression in cardiomyocytes, macrophages and endothelial cells of cardiac vessels indicates their direct infection with SARS-CoV-2 virus and possible long-term persistence of viral infection. It was found that in severe COVID-19 CD3- and CD68-positive cells are detected in the heart; endothelial dysfunction is observed, which is indicated by decreased expression of CD31 and high expression of vWF. The identified myocardial changes may influence the development of post-COVID cardiovascular complications.

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Cite This Study

Lapii et al. (Tue,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69a75b6cc6e9836116a22b6c https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.17116/patol20268801144

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