Arterial stiffness in acute COVID-19 and potential associations with clinical outcome

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) interferes with the vascular endothelium. It is not known whether COVID-19 additionally affects arterial stiffness. Methods: This case–control study compared brachial-ankle pulse wave (baPWV) and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocities (cfPWV) of acutely ill patients with and without COVID-19. Results: Twenty-two COVID-19 patients (50% females, 77 [67–84] years) were compared with 22 age- and sex-matched controls. In COVID-19 patients, baPWV (19.9 [18.4–21.0] vs. 16.0 [14.2–20.4], P = 0.02) and cfPWV (14.3 [13.4–16.0] vs. 11.0 [9.5–14.6], P = 0.01) were higher than in the controls. In multiple regression analysis, COVID-19 was independently associated with higher cfPWV (β = 3.164, P = 0.004) and baPWV (β = 3.532, P = 0.003). PWV values were higher in nonsurvivors. In survivors, PWV correlated with length of hospital stay. Conclusion: COVID-19 appears to be related to an enhanced PWV reflecting an increase in arterial stiffness. Higher PWV might be related to an increased length of hospital stay and mortality.