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Published on: December 19, 2020
[Clinical features of pericarditis in patients with SARS-CoV-2]
Luis Alonso Martínez-Mata1, Silvia Amparo Ledesma-Ramírez2, Xóchitl Ramos-Ramos3
1Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Centro Médico Nacional del Bajío, Hospital de Especialidades No. 1, Dirección de Educación e Investigación en Salud. León, Guanajuato, México.
Insights
Pericarditis is a rare complication of COVID-19, affecting 0.30% of patients. Chest pain is the most common symptom, but many patients lack typical electrocardiogram changes or comorbidities, highlighting the need for early diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Context:
- COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) presents with various cardiovascular complications, including pericarditis.
- The frequency and specific presentation of COVID-19-related pericarditis remain largely uncharacterized.
- Early diagnosis and prompt treatment of pericarditis are crucial to mitigate potentially fatal outcomes.
Purpose:
- To determine the incidence of pericarditis secondary to COVID-19 infection.
- To describe the clinical characteristics and presentation of COVID-19-associated pericarditis.
Summary:
- A cross-sectional study analyzed 3364 COVID-19 positive patients, identifying 10 cases of pericarditis (0.30% frequency).
- The average patient age was 46.1 years, with a male predominance (60%).
- Key findings included retrosternal pain (90%), absence of comorbidities (50%), and lack of electrocardiogram changes (40%) in affected individuals.
Impact:
- This study highlights the low frequency of pericarditis in COVID-19 patients.
- Chest pain is the most common symptom, but diagnostic ambiguity exists due to frequent absence of typical electrocardiogram findings and comorbidities.
- Emphasizes the importance of considering pericarditis in COVID-19 patients presenting with chest pain, even without other risk factors or clear ECG abnormalities.
Background:
COVID-19 disease (coronavirus disease 2019) has multiple potentially fatal cardiovascular complications and pericarditis is one of them; however, if prompt treatment is given, fatal events associated to this complication decrease. Its frequency and presentation characteristics are unknown, which is why its early diagnosis is important.
Objective:
To know the frequency of pericarditis secondary to COVID-19 and its presentation characteristics.
Material And Methods:
Cross-sectional study in patients with a diagnosis of pericarditis after COVID-19 disease (with a positive test). Symptoms, age, sex, comorbidities, and electrocardiogram (ECG) and transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) results were obtained.
Results:
A total of 3364 patients positive for COVID-19 were registered, out of which 10 met criteria for pericarditis, which represented a frequency of 0.30%. The average age of the sample was 46.1 years and 60% predominated in the male gender with a 1.5:1 ratio. The most frequent clinical characteristics were the presence of retrosternal pain (90%), absence of comorbidity (50%), and absence of electrocardiographic changes (40%).
Conclusions:
Pericarditis has a low frequency in patients with COVID-19. The predominant clinical presentation is chest pain. Almost half will not have electrocardiographic changes, and half will not have comorbidities.
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