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Cardiovascular autonomic evaluation and body fat analysis in COVID-19-recovered patients in Dakshina Kannada, India
Grrishma Balakrishnan1, Shobith Bangera1, Kalpana Balasubramaniyam1
1Department of Physiology, Yenepoya Medical College, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Deralakatte, Mangalore, Karnataka, India.
Insights
Post-COVID-19 individuals, particularly those with higher body fat, show altered autonomic function and increased fatigue. This suggests obesity may increase susceptibility to severe COVID-19 and lead to dysautonomia.
Area of Science:
- Physiology
- Cardiovascular Health
- Metabolic Syndrome
Background:
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) significantly impacts human health.
- Long-term effects of COVID-19 on autonomic function and body fat distribution require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the influence of body fat distribution on autonomic function.
- To determine the correlation between body fat, autonomic function, and fatigue severity in post-COVID-19 individuals of Indian ethnicity.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study involving 31 COVID-19 survivors and 29 controls.
- Evaluations included heart rate variability (HRV), galvanic skin response (GSR), body fat analysis, and Chalder Fatigue Severity Score.
Main Results:
- Cases exhibited significantly higher diastolic blood pressure and galvanic skin response.
- Increased visceral, subcutaneous, and trunk fat percentages were observed in post-COVID-19 individuals.
- No significant differences in HRV parameters were found, but fatigue scores negatively correlated with certain HRV indices.
Conclusions:
- Obesity is linked to higher COVID-19 susceptibility and potential dysautonomia.
- Elevated body fat percentage and increased GSR suggest long-term autonomic dysfunction post-COVID-19.
- Further research is needed to explore the relationship between obesity, COVID-19, and autonomic dysregulation.
Background:
The pandemic, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to a heavy toll on the human health. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of body fat distribution, evolving long-term effect on autonomic function, and its correlation with Chalder Fatigue Severity Score in post-COVID-19-recovered individuals of Indian ethnicity.
Materials And Method:
A case-control study was conducted in the Department of Physiology on 31 cases and 29 age- and gender-matched controls. Cardiovascular evaluation including heart rate variability (HRV), galvanic skin response (GSR), body fat analysis, and Chalder Fatigue Severity Score was performed on the study participants. The continuous variables of basal anthropometric parameters, GSR values, HRV indices, and body fat parameters are expressed as mean and standard deviation (SD).
Results:
Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was significantly increased among cases (P = 0.04). GSR (average) for cases is higher when compared to controls and was borderline significant (P = 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the HRV parameters. Cases showed significantly higher body fat distribution as compared to the control group indicating increased susceptibility of the obese population to COVID-19. Chalder's post-COVID-19 Fatigue Severity Score of cases showed a negative correlation with LF:HF and RMSSD but it was not statistically significant.
Conclusion:
In our study, we conclude that there was a significant increase in DBP and GSR (average) with significantly higher visceral fat percentage, body fat percentage, subcutaneous fat percentage, skeletal muscle percentage, and trunk fat percentage in cases as compared to the control group suggestive of higher propensity of obese individuals suffering from COVID-19 and resulting in dysautonomia as compared to the controls.
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