Follow-up assessment of the microvascular function in patients with long COVID

Marzena Romanowska-Kocejko; Alicja Braczko; Agata Jędrzejewska; Marta Żarczyńska-Buchowiecka; Tomasz Kocejko; Barbara Kutryb-zając; Marcin Hellmann

doi:10.1016/j.mvr.2024.104748

Follow-up assessment of the microvascular function in patients with long COVID

Abstract

Long COVID is a complex pathophysiological condition. However, accumulating data suggests that COVID-19 is a systemic microvascular endothelial dysfunction with different clinical manifestations. In this study, a microvascular function was assessed in long COVID patients (n = 33) and healthy controls (n = 30) using flow-mediated skin fluorescence technique (FMSF), based on measurements of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide fluorescence intensity during brachial artery occlusion (ischemic response, IR) and immediately after occlusion (hyperemic response, HR). Microcirculatory function readings were taken twice, 3 months apart. In addition, we quantified biochemical markers such as the serum L-arginine derivatives and hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α) to assess their relation with microvascular parameters evaluated in vivo. In patients with long COVID, serum HIF1α was significantly correlated to IRindex (r = −0.375, p < 0.05). Similarly, there was a significant inverse correlation of serum asymmetric dimethyl-L-arginine levels to both HRmax (r = −0.343, p < 0.05) and HRindex (r = −0.335, p < 0.05). The IR parameters were found lower or negative in long COVID patients and recovered in three-month follow-up. Hypoxia sensitivity value was significantly higher in long COVID patients examined after three months of treatment based on the combination of ACE-inhibitors and beta-adrenolytic compared to baseline condition (85.2 ± 73.8 vs. 39.9 ± 51.7 respectively, p = 0.009). This study provides evidence that FMSF is a sensitive, non-invasive technique to track changes in microvascular function that was impaired in long COVID and recovered after 3 months, especially in patients receiving a cardioprotective therapy.

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Authors (7)

Marzena Romanowska-Kocejko lek. med.
Alicja Braczko
Agata Jędrzejewska
Marta Żarczyńska-Buchowiecka
Tomasz Kocejko dr inż.
Barbara Kutryb-zając
Marcin Hellmann

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Keywords

COVID-19

Details

Category:

Articles

Type:

artykuły w czasopismach

Published in:

MICROVASCULAR RESEARCH no. 157,
ISSN: 0026-2862

Language:

English

Publication year:

2025

Bibliographic description:

Romanowska-Kocejko M., Braczko A., Jędrzejewska A., Żarczyńska-Buchowiecka M., Kocejko T., Kutryb-zając B., Hellmann M.: Follow-up assessment of the microvascular function in patients with long COVID// MICROVASCULAR RESEARCH -,iss. Volume 157 (2025), s.1-16

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