Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 16, 2025
Signal Acquisition, Score Interpretation, and Economics of a Non-Invasive Point-of-Care Test for Coronary Artery Disease
Published on: August 9, 2024
Spotlight on Cardiovascular Scoring Systems in Covid-19: Severity Correlations in Real-world Setting
Chiara Mozzini1, Sebastiano Cicco2, Angela Setti1
1Department of Medicine, Section of Internal Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
Insights
High cardiovascular risk in COVID-19 patients is linked to severe lung issues and death. The Framingham Risk Score (FRS) effectively identifies high-risk individuals, aiding clinical decisions and vaccine prioritization.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Radiology
Background:
- Cardiovascular (CV) risk prediction models are crucial for identifying high-risk populations but remain largely unexplored in the context of COVID-19.
- Understanding the interplay between CV risk and COVID-19 severity is essential for effective patient management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the association between established CV risk scoring systems and the severity of lung involvement on chest X-ray (CXR) in Italian COVID-19 patients.
- To determine the predictive utility of CV risk scores for mortality and radiographic severity in this cohort.
Main Methods:
- Assessed 50 Italian COVID-19 patients, applying the Framingham Risk Score (FRS) and Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD) score.
- Correlated CV risk scores with CXR findings (lung involvement severity) and patient outcomes (mortality).
- Examined associations between CXR severity, hypertension, and diabetes.
Main Results:
- The FRS was applicable to all patients, while the ASCVD score was applicable to half.
- 62% of patients were high risk by FRS; 41% by ASCVD.
- Higher FRS was associated with increased mortality (9.7x higher probability for FRS≥30) and was prevalent in non-survivors, who were all hypertensive.
- Strong correlations (P < 0.001) were found between CXR severity and both FRS and ASCVD.
- High CV risk patients more frequently exhibited lung consolidations on CXR.
- CXR severity was significantly associated with hypertension and diabetes; these patients had an 8x greater risk of consolidations.
Conclusions:
- High cardiovascular risk is correlated with more severe chest X-ray patterns and increased mortality in COVID-19 patients.
- Hypertension and diabetes are linked to more severe lung involvement on CXR.
- The Framingham Risk Score demonstrated superior predictive utility and suitability for this patient cohort, suggesting its value in clinical practice and for prioritizing high-risk groups for interventions like vaccination.
Objectives And Methods:
the current understanding of the interplay between cardiovascular (CV) risk and Covid-19 is grossly inadequate. CV risk-prediction models are used to identify and treat high risk populations and to communicate risk effectively. These tools are unexplored in Covid-19. The main objective is to evaluate the association between CV scoring systems and chest X ray (CXR) examination (in terms of severity of lung involvement) in 50 Italian Covid-19 patients. Results only the Framingham Risk Score (FRS) was applicable to all patients. The Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Score (ASCVD) was applicable to half. 62% of patients were classified as high risk according to FRS and 41% according to ASCVD. Patients who died had all a higher FRS compared to survivors. They were all hypertensive. FRS≥30 patients had a 9.7 higher probability of dying compared to patients with a lower FRS. We found a strong correlation between CXR severity and FRS and ASCVD (P < 0.001). High CV risk patients had consolidations more frequently. CXR severity was significantly associated with hypertension and diabetes. 71% of hypertensive patients' CXR and 88% of diabetic patients' CXR had consolidations. Patients with diabetes or hypertension had 8 times greater risk of having consolidations.
Conclusions:
High CV risk correlates with more severe CXR pattern and death. Diabetes and hypertension are associated with more severe CXR. FRS offers more predictive utility and fits best to our cohort. These findings may have implications for clinical practice and for the identification of high-risk groups to be targeted for the vaccine precedence.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:25Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System VI: Calcium -Scoring CT
01:30Acute Coronary Syndrome III: Diagnostic Studies
01:23Assessment of the Cardiovascular System I: Subjective Data
Initial Enquiry
Ask the patient about their primary concern and thoroughly explore all reported symptoms.
Medical History
Investigate past illnesses affecting the cardiovascular system, such as angina, anemia, rheumatic fever, congenital heart disease, stroke, thrombophlebitis, dysrhythmias, varicosities
Inquire about symptoms...
01:30Heart Failure IV: Classification and Diagnostic Evaluation
01:20Blood Studies for Cardiovascular System I: Cardiac Biomarkers
The essential diagnostic tools for detecting myocardial necrosis and monitoring individuals suspected of having acute coronary syndrome (ACS) include:
Troponins
Troponins, particularly cardiac troponins I and T, are the most precise and sensitive markers of myocardial injury. They are detectable within 4-6 hours of myocardial injury and remain...
01:30Coronary Artery Disease III: Clinical Manifestations