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Galectin-3 and Its Relationship With Left Ventricular and Left Atrial Echocardiographic Changes in Hospitalized

Nana Egiashvili1, Nona Kakauridze1, Nino Gvajaia1

  • 1Department of Internal Medicine, Tbilisi State Medical University, The First University Clinic, Tbilisi, GEO.

Cureus
|March 30, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Elevated galectin-3 levels in COVID-19 patients correlate with cardiac changes, particularly left atrial size and left ventricular function. This suggests galectin-3 may help identify early myocardial involvement and assess cardiovascular risk.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Biomarkers

Background:

  • Galectin-3 is a known biomarker for inflammation and fibrosis in COVID-19.
  • Its association with echocardiographic indicators of cardiac involvement requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the relationship between galectin-3 levels and echocardiographic changes in the left ventricle and left atrium of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 41 adult COVID-19 patients, categorized by symptom severity.
  • Measurement of serum galectin-3 levels and transthoracic echocardiography upon admission.

Main Results:

  • Significantly higher galectin-3 levels in severely symptomatic patients compared to moderately symptomatic patients (p=0.029).
  • Severe COVID-19 associated with larger ascending aorta (p=0.041) and left atrium (p=0.05).
  • Galectin-3 correlated significantly with left atrial diameter and left ventricular structure/function indices.

Conclusions:

  • Elevated galectin-3 levels are linked to structural myocardial changes in COVID-19.
  • Combined galectin-3 and echocardiography assessment can aid in early detection of myocardial involvement and cardiovascular risk stratification.

Keywords:
cardiac biomarkerscardiovascular complicationscovid-19echocardiographygalectin-3left atrial enlargementleft ventricular functionmyocardial injury

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