Elevated FAI Index of Pericoronary Inflammation on Coronary CT Identifies Increased Risk of Coronary Plaque Vulnerability after COVID-19 Infection

Inflammation is a key factor in the development of atherosclerosis, a disease characterized by the buildup of plaque in the arteries. COVID-19 infection is known to cause systemic inflammation, but its impact on local plaque vulnerability is unclear. Our study aimed to investigate the impact of COVI...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of molecular sciences 2023-04, Vol.24 (8), p.7398
Main Authors: Mátyás, Botond Barna, Benedek, Imre, Blîndu, Emanuel, Gerculy, Renáta, Roșca, Aurelian, Rat, Nóra, Kovács, István, Opincariu, Diana, Parajkó, Zsolt, Szabó, Evelin, Benedek, Bianka, Benedek, Theodora
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adipose Tissue
Aged
Atherosclerosis
Coronary Angiography - methods
Coronary Artery Disease - diagnostic imaging
Coronary Artery Disease - etiology
Coronary Vessels
COVID-19 - complications
Development and progression
Disease susceptibility
Health aspects
Humans
Inflammation
Inflammation - complications
Middle Aged
Plaque, Atherosclerotic - diagnostic imaging
Plaque, Atherosclerotic - etiology
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Inflammation is a key factor in the development of atherosclerosis, a disease characterized by the buildup of plaque in the arteries. COVID-19 infection is known to cause systemic inflammation, but its impact on local plaque vulnerability is unclear. Our study aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 infection on coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients who underwent computed tomography angiography (CCTA) for chest pain in the early stages after infection, using an AI-powered solution called CaRi-Heart . The study included 158 patients (mean age was 61.63 ± 10.14 years) with angina and low to intermediate clinical likelihood of CAD, with 75 having a previous COVID-19 infection and 83 without infection. The results showed that patients who had a previous COVID-19 infection had higher levels of pericoronary inflammation than those who did not have a COVID-19 infection, suggesting that COVID-19 may increase the risk of coronary plaque destabilization. This study highlights the potential long-term impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular health, and the importance of monitoring and managing cardiovascular risk factors in patients recovering from COVID-19 infection. The AI-powered CaRi-Heart technology may offer a non-invasive way to detect coronary artery inflammation and plaque instability in patients with COVID-19.
ISSN:1422-0067
1422-0067
DOI:10.3390/ijms24087398