A Multidisciplinary Approach to Evaluate the Presence of Hepatic and Cardiac Abnormalities in Patients with Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome-A Pilot Study.
Felix BendeCristina TudoranIoan SporeaRenata FofiuVictor BâldeaRadu CotrăuAlina PopescuRoxana Lucia SirliBogdan Silviu UngureanuMariana TudoranPublished in: Journal of clinical medicine (2021)
(1) Background: Patients suffering from the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) disease could experience several extra-pulmonary involvements, including cardiovascular complications and liver injury. This study aims to evaluate the presence of cardiac and liver alterations in patients with post-acute COVID-19 syndrome using transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and liver elastography (LE). (2) Methods: A total of 97 subjects recovering from COVID-19, attending the hospital's specialized outpatient clinic for persisting symptoms at 3 to 11 weeks after the acute illness, were included in this study. They all had a basal COVID-19 assessment, and subsequently, a clinical evaluation, laboratory tests, TTE, and LE. (3) Results: considering the presence of pulmonary injury during COVID-19, patients were divided into two groups. Although none of them had altered systolic function, we evidenced pulmonary hypertension, diastolic dysfunction, increased liver stiffness, viscosity, and steatosis in around one-third of the patients, with significantly higher values in subjects with pulmonary injury compared to those without. (4) Conclusion: persisting symptoms characterizing the post-acute COVID-19 syndrome could be explained by residual cardiac and hepatic lesions, which were worse in more severe COVID-19 forms. These patients may be at risk of developing liver fibrosis and cardiac alterations and should be investigated in the first 12 weeks after the onset of the infection.
Keyphrases
- coronavirus disease
- sars cov
- pulmonary hypertension
- drug induced
- left ventricular
- liver injury
- liver failure
- end stage renal disease
- ejection fraction
- respiratory syndrome coronavirus
- respiratory failure
- newly diagnosed
- chronic kidney disease
- heart failure
- blood pressure
- primary care
- palliative care
- clinical evaluation
- metabolic syndrome
- type diabetes
- peritoneal dialysis
- pulmonary arterial hypertension
- computed tomography
- aortic dissection
- prognostic factors
- oxidative stress
- pulmonary artery
- physical activity
- early onset
- risk factors
- case report
- atrial fibrillation
- gestational age
- patient reported outcomes