Association between electrolyte supplementation and cardiac injury in long COVID-19
Xida Li1,2, Yonghua Chen1,3, Shuo Sun1
1Fifth Division of Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Insights
Electrolyte supplementation, including potassium and magnesium, shows promise in improving heart function and quality of life for individuals with long COVID-19 cardiac injury. This intervention may help reduce arrhythmias and improve heart rate variability in affected patients.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Cardiac injury is a significant complication of long coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), impacting cardiac function and patient quality of life.
- The long-term effects of COVID-19 on the cardiovascular system require further investigation to identify effective management strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between electrolyte supplementation and cardiac injury in patients experiencing long COVID-19.
- To evaluate the impact of electrolyte supplementation on heart rate variability, quality of life, and cardiac electrical activity in this patient population.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective study involving 144 patients with long COVID-19 related cardiac injury, divided into supplementation and control groups.
- Analysis included heart rate variability (HRV) parameters, quality of life questionnaires (Minnesota Heart Failure Quality of Life, NRS), and multivariable linear regression to assess outcomes.
- Key electrolytes examined for supplementation effects were potassium and magnesium.
Main Results:
- Electrolyte supplementation was significantly associated with increased potassium and magnesium levels.
- Supplementation correlated with improved HRV parameters and a reduced frequency of premature contractions.
- Patients receiving supplementation reported better quality of life, indicated by lower Minnesota and NRS scores.
Conclusions:
- Electrolyte supplementation may offer benefits for managing cardiac injury in long COVID-19 patients.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the precise role of electrolytes in long COVID-19 cardiac injury and optimize supplementation strategies.
Background:
Cardiac injury is a common complication of long coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), affecting heart function and quality of life. This study aimed to investigate the association between electrolyte supplementation and cardiac injury in long COVID-19.
Methods:
This retrospective study was conducted at Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital Zhuhai Hospital (Zhuhai Golden Bay Hospital), utilizing data from patients with cardiac injury related to long COVID-19 who were admitted and managed between January 2021 and January 2023. The patients were grouped according to electrolyte supplementation (supplementation group) or no supplementation (control group). The outcomes included heart rate variability (HRV) parameters, the Minnesota Heart Failure Quality of Life questionnaire, and numerical rating scale (NRS) assessments of quality of life.
Results:
A total of 144 patients with cardiac injury related to long COVID-19 were included in the analysis (supplementation group, n=72; control group, n=72). After adjusting for age, sex, creatinine, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein, multivariable linear regression analysis indicated a significant association between supplementation and increased levels of potassium [β=1.3, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1-1.5, P=0.001] and magnesium (β=0.18, 95% CI: 0.07-0.29, P=0.001), as well as improvements in HRV parameters, including standard deviation of normal-to-normal RR intervals over 24 hours, root mean square of successive differences, and high-frequency domain indices/low-frequency domain indices (all P<0.05). Additionally, supplementation correlated with a reduced frequency of premature contractions (β=-5.61, 95% CI: -7.50 to -3.72, P=0.01), lower Minnesota scores (β=-6.7, 95% CI: -9.1 to -4.3, P=0.001), and decreased NRS scores (β=-7.2, 95% CI: -6.5 to -7.9, P=0.02).
Conclusions:
Electrolyte supplementation may be beneficial in managing cardiac injury associated with long COVID-19. Further research is needed to clarify the role of electrolytes in cardiac injury related to long COVID-19 and to explore management strategies that incorporate electrolyte supplementation.
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