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

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may affect many organs and may be responsible for numerous complications including cardiovascular problems Methods: We analysed consecutive patients (n = 51) admitted to the cardiology department between 1st October 2020 and 31st 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 Results: The 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 Conclusions: Diabetes, 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 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Archives of Medical Science is the property of Termedia Publishing House and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use This abstract may be abridged No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract (Copyright applies to all Abstracts )