Absence of cardiac impairment in patients after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 infection: A long-term follow-up study

2024

No Heart Damage After COVID-19: Long-Term Study

Sample size: 183 publication 10 minutes Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Janek Salatzki, Andreas Ochs, Lukas D. Weberling, Jannick Heins, Marc Zahlten, James G. Whayne, Christian Stehning, Evangelos Giannitsis, Claudia M. Denkinger, Uta Merle, Sebastian J. Buss, Henning Steen, Florian André, Norbert Frey

Primary Institution: University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

Hypothesis

Are there long-term cardiac alterations in patients after SARS-CoV-2 infection?

Conclusion

Patients who have recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection show normal cardiac function and structure, indicating that long-term cardiac changes are rare.

Supporting Evidence

Median follow-up time was 395 days.
Left ventricular functional and morphological parameters were within the normal range.
42 patients reported persistent symptoms, but cardiac function remained normal.
Patients who were hospitalized showed no significant long-term cardiac impairment.
Minor morphological deviations were noted in patients with persistent symptoms.

Takeaway

This study looked at people who had COVID-19 and found that their hearts were mostly healthy even after a long time, which is good news!

Methodology

Patients were examined using a mobile 1.5T clinical magnetic resonance scanner to assess cardiac function and dimensions, compared to a matched control group.