COVID-19 and cardiovascular complications – preliminary results of the LATE-COVID study

IntroductionCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may affect many organs and may be responsible for numerous complications including cardiovascular problems.MethodsWe analysed consecutive patients (n = 51) admitted to the cardiology department between 1^st October 2020 and 31^st January 2021 due to symptoms which might have reflected cardiovascular complications following COVID-19. We collected data concerning clinical characteristics, results of laboratory tests, echocardiography and 24-hour ambulatory ECG recording.ResultsThe post-COVID-19 complications appeared 1–4 months after disease recovery. Severe cardiovascular complications were observed in 27.5% of hospitalized patients. In comparison to those with mild complications, patients with severe complications had significantly higher prevalence of diabetes (36 vs. 8%; p = 0.01), decrease in ejection fraction (36% vs. 0%, p < 0.001), higher resting heart rate at admission (85 vs. 72 bpm; p < 0.001), and higher levels of C-reactive protein (p = 0.02) and troponin T (17.9 vs. 4.2 pg/ml; p = 0.01). Dyspnoea and exercise intolerance were also more frequent in patients with severe complications.ConclusionsDiabetes, elevated level of CRP and troponin, heart rate variability parameters and worsening of left ventricular ejection fraction are related to the severity of cardiovascular complications following COVID-19 infection.