Cardiac status and atherosclerotic cardiovascular risk of convalescents after COVID-19 in Poland

Abstract

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic brought about cardiac complications and unfavorable lifestyle changes that may increase cardiovascular risk. Objectives Our aim was to establish the cardiac status of convalescents several months after COVID-19, and the 10-year risk of fatal and nonfatal atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) events, according to the Systemic Coronary Risk Estimation-2 (SCORE2) and SCORE2-Older Persons (OP) algorithms. Patient s and methods The study included 553 convalescents (mean [SD] age, 63.5 [10.26] years; 316 [57.1%] women), hospitalized at the Cardiac Rehabilitation Department, Ustron Health Resort, Poland. The history of cardiac complications, exercise capacity, blood pressure control, echocardiography, 24-hour Holter electrocardiogram recording, and laboratory workup were assessed. Result s A total of 20.7% of men and 17.7% of women (P = 0.38) had cardiac complications during acute COVID-19, most often heart failure (10.7%), pulmonary embolism (3.7%), and supraventricular arrhythmias (6.3%). On average, 4 months after COVID-19 diagnosis, echocardiographic abnormalities were found in 16.7% of men and 9.7% of women (P = 0.1), and benign arrhythmias in 45.3% of men and 44% of women (P = 0.84). Preexisting ASCVD was reported in 21.8% of men and 6.1% of women (P <0.001). The median risk assessed by SCORE2/SCORE2-OP algorithms in apparently healthy people was high for the participants aged 40-49 years (3%; interquartile range [IQR], 2%-4%) and 50-69 years (8%; IQR, 5.3%-10%), and very high (20%; IQR, 15.5%-37%) for the participants aged 70 years and above. The SCORE2 risk in men aged over 70 years was higher than in women (P < 0.001). Conclusions Data collected in the convalescents indicate a relatively small number of cardiac problems that could be associated with a history of COVID-19 in either sex, and a high risk of ASCVD, especially in men.