LONG-TERM CHANGES IN ARTERIAL STIFFNESS AFTER COVID-19

Abstract

Objective: To assess if COVID-19 is associated with increase in arterial stiffness using a long-term follow-up study. Design and method: 53 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in 2021 and 53 age and sex-matched subjects from a proportional cohort were examined. COVID-19 convalescents were evaluated twice; the first visit was 10-16 months after hospitalization, followed by a second visit 6 months after (n=44). The VaSera device (Fukuda Denshi, Japan) was used to measure vascular age, cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) and ankle brachial index (ABI). Results: Groups did not differ by gender, smoking status, presence of hypertension or diabetes, but the control group and the second visit group differ by age (Table 1). There was no difference between the control group and COVID-19 group in vascular age and CAVI, however, there was a difference between the control group and the second visit in ABI (p=0.002). To assess the effect of COVID-19 on arterial stiffness; age, arterial hypertension, diabetes, smoking status, and systolic blood pressure were considered during analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) (Table 2). Patients in the control group and COVID-19 group did not differ in vascular age and CAVI after adjustment, but there was a trend toward increasing statistical significance at different visits. Patients in the control group and COVID-19 group differed in ABI, with statistical significance increasing at the later visit. Conclusions: There is an elevation in ABI in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 compared to those not affected by COVID-19. This effect becomes more pronounced over time. No statistical significance was observed for vascular age and CAVI, although an upward trend was noted. Longer follow-up is needed to provide accurate conclusions as to whether these parameters may increase after COVID-19.