Individuals Recovered from Severe COVID-19 are Predispose to Develop Atrial Fibrillation

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Infectious Diseases
• Autonomic Neuroscience

Background:

• Autonomic dysfunction is a key factor in atrial fibrillation (AF) development.
• Heart rate turbulence (HRT) is a validated metric for assessing autonomic nervous system (ANS) function.
• The long-term cardiovascular effects of COVID-19, particularly on AF predisposition, require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the impact of COVID-19 on atrial fibrillation predisposition in the post-recovery phase.
• To evaluate atrial HRT measurements in patients experiencing palpitations after COVID-19 infection.

Main Methods:

• Included 407 healthy controls and 328 recovered COVID-19 patients, categorized by chest CT severity (mild, moderate, severe).
• Utilized 24-hour Holter recordings to measure atrial HRT parameters.
• Performed regression analysis to identify predictors of abnormal atrial HRT.

Main Results:

• Significantly higher atrial HRT Onset values were observed in the severe COVID-19 recovery group compared to other groups.
• A positive correlation was found between atrial HRT Onset and chest CT severity score.
• Chest CT severity, smoking, and severe COVID-19 recovery were independent predictors of abnormal atrial HRT Onset.

Conclusions:

• Blunted atrial HRT, a risk factor for AF, is more prevalent in individuals recovered from severe COVID-19.
• Patients recovering from severe COVID-19 warrant careful evaluation for atrial HRT to assess AF risk.