Study: Most COVID survivors had cardiac involvement nearly 1 year laterA study of 346 previously healthy COVID-19 survivors finds that 73% had cardiac signs and symptoms more than 3 months after infection, and 57% still had them at nearly 1 year.In the study, published yesterday in Nature Medicine, a team led by University Hospital Frankfurt researchers in Germany measured blood biomarkers of heart injury and dysfunction and performed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on 346 COVID-19 survivors who had no previous heart disease or notable chronic conditions at a median of 109 and 329 days.The first screening took place from April 2020 to October 2021.
Average participant age was 43.3 years, and 52% were women. A total of 144 participants (42%) received mRNA COVID-19 vaccination from baseline to follow-up, but the effects of vaccination weren't systematically assessed.At 109 days, 73% of participants noted cardiac symptoms such as shortness of breath during exertion (62%), palpitations (28%), chest pain (27%), and fainting (3%).
Participants who had symptomatic COVID-19 infections had higher heart rates and signs of heart inflammation on MRI than asymptomatic patients, but structural heart disease and biomarkers of heart injury or dysfunction were rare in symptomatic patients.Of all participants, 38% had mild cardiac symptoms, while 33% reported moderate symptoms, and 3% had severe symptoms that resulted in the inability to leave home owing to sudden general weakness, dizziness, and blackouts.At a median of 329 days, 57% of participants reported cardiac symptoms, including 5% who developed new cardiac symptoms since baseline.