Acute and Long-Term Consequences of COVID-19 on Arterial Stiffness—A Narrative Review

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the ongoing global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Although initially viewed as an acute respiratory illness, COVID-19 is clearly a complex multisystemic disease with extensive cardiovascular involvement. Emerging e...

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Published in:Life (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2022-05, Vol.12 (6), p.781
Main Authors: Zota, Ioana Mădălina, Stătescu, Cristian, Sascău, Radu Andy, Roca, Mihai, Anghel, Larisa, Maștaleru, Alexandra, Leon-Constantin, Maria Magdalena, Ghiciuc, Cristina Mihaela, Cozma, Sebastian Romica, Dima-Cozma, Lucia Corina, Esanu, Irina Mihaela, Mitu, Florin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aging
Ankle
arterial stiffness
Cardiovascular diseases
cardiovascular risk
Clinical medicine
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Critical care
endotheliitis
Endothelium
Fatalities
Hospitalization
Hypertension
Inflammation
Mortality
Pandemics
pulse wave velocity
Respiratory diseases
Review
SARS-CoV-2
Severe acute respiratory syndrome
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Stiffness
Vascular diseases
Viral diseases
Young adults
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Summary:The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the ongoing global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Although initially viewed as an acute respiratory illness, COVID-19 is clearly a complex multisystemic disease with extensive cardiovascular involvement. Emerging evidence shows that the endothelium plays multiple roles in COVID-19 physiopathology, as both a target organ that can be directly infected by SARS-CoV-2 and a mediator in the subsequent inflammatory and thrombotic cascades. Arterial stiffness is an established marker of cardiovascular disease. The scope of this review is to summarize available data on the acute and long-term consequences of COVID-19 on vascular function. COVID-19 causes early vascular aging and arterial stiffness. Fast, noninvasive bedside assessment of arterial stiffness could optimize risk stratification in acute COVID-19, allowing for early escalation of treatment. Vascular physiology remains impaired at least 12 months after infection with SARS-CoV-2, even in otherwise healthy adults. This raises concerns regarding the extent of arterial remodeling in patients with preexisting vascular disease and the potential development of a persistent, chronic COVID-19 vasculopathy. Long-term follow up on larger cohorts is required to investigate the reversibility of COVID-19-induced vascular changes and their associated prognostic implications.
ISSN:2075-1729
2075-1729
DOI:10.3390/life12060781