Subclinical patterns of cardiac involvement by transthoracic echocardiography in individuals with mild initial COVID-19.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the subclinical patterns and evolution of cardiac abnormalities via transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in patients with mild initial COVID-19 illness. A total of 343 infected individuals (163 males; age 44 (interquartile range, IQR 35-52) years) years) underwent serial TTE assessments at a median of 109 (interquartile range (IQR), 77-177) and 327 (276-379) days after infection. Compared with those of non-COVID-19-infected controls (n = 94, male n = 49), baseline systolic (LVEF, TAPSE) and diastolic function (e', a', E/e') were significantly different in infected participants (p < 0.

Long-term cardiac pathology in individuals with mild initial COVID-19 illness.

Cardiac symptoms are increasingly recognized as late complications of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in previously well individuals with mild initial illness, but the underlying pathophysiology leading to long-term cardiac symptoms remains unclear. In this study, we conducted serial cardiac assessments in a selected population of individuals with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) with no previous cardiac disease or notable comorbidities by measuring blood biomarkers of heart injury or dysfunction and by performing magnetic resonance imaging. Baseline measurements from 346 individuals with COVID-19 (52% females) were obtained at a median of 109 days (interquartile range (IQR), 77-177 days) after infection, when 73% of participants reported cardiac symptoms, such as exertional dyspnea (62%), palpitations (28%), atypical chest pain (27%) and syncope (3%).