Long-term assessment of systemic microcirculatory function and plasma cytokines after coronavirus disease 2019
Letícia Sabioni1, Andrea De Lorenzo1, Hugo Caire Castro-Faria-Neto2
1Instituto Nacional de Cardiologia, Ministério da Saúde, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Insights
Systemic microvascular endothelial function improved significantly following COVID-19 recovery, returning to levels comparable to healthy individuals. Cytokine levels also decreased, indicating reduced inflammation and improved vascular health post-infection.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Immunology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Systemic microvascular dysfunction is a known complication of COVID-19.
- Serum cytokines play a role in regulating vascular function and inflammation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate systemic microvascular endothelial function using laser doppler perfusion monitoring (LDPM) after acute COVID-19.
- To assess plasma cytokine levels in patients post-COVID-19 recovery.
Main Methods:
- Noninvasive assessment of endothelium-dependent microvascular reactivity via cutaneous LDPM with local thermal hyperemia (LTH).
- Multiplex biometric immunoassay panel used to measure 48 serum cytokines and chemokines.
- Study included 20 patients recently recovered from COVID-19 and 14 healthy controls.
Main Results:
- Microvascular reactivity, measured by the area under the curve of vasodilation during LTH, significantly increased post-recovery (P=0.009) and was not different from controls.
- Peak microvascular flow during LTH also significantly increased (P=0.02) and normalized compared to healthy volunteers.
- Concentrations of several serum cytokines and chemokines were significantly reduced after recovery from COVID-19.
Conclusions:
- Endothelium-dependent systemic microvascular reactivity improves after COVID-19 recovery in patients with cardiovascular diseases.
- This improvement parallels a reduction in serum cytokines and chemokines associated with vascular function and inflammation.
Abstract:
Systemic microvascular dysfunction has been shown to be present in COVID-19, and serum cytokines are known to be involved in the regulation of vascular function. We sought to evaluate systemic microvascular endothelial function, with laser doppler perfusion monitoring (LDPM), and plasma levels of cytokines after acute COVID-19. Individuals admitted to a Cardiology hospital with acute COVID-19 and followed for 12-15 months after recovery underwent noninvasive evaluation of systemic endothelium-dependent microvascular reactivity by cutaneous LDPM with local thermal hyperemia (LTH). A multiplex biometric immunoassay panel was used to assess 48 serum cytokines and chemokines. Twenty patients and 14 control volunteers were enrolled. The areas under the curves of vasodilation induced by LTH were significantly increased after recovery (P=0.009) and were not different from values obtained in healthy volunteers (P = 0.85). The peak microvascular flow during LTH did also significantly increase (P = 0.02), and was not different form values obtained in healthy volunteers (P = 0.55). Several cytokines displayed significantly reduced serum concentrations after recovery from COVID-19. In conclusion, endothelium-dependent systemic microvascular reactivity improved after recovery from COVID-19 in patients with cardiovascular diseases, in parallel with a reduction in the levels of several serum cytokines and chemokines involved in the regulation of vascular function and inflammation.
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