Background: Rising data suggest that COVID-19 affects vascular endothelium while the underlying mechanisms promoting COVID-19-associated endothelial dysfunction and inflammatory vasculopathy are largely unknown. The aim was to evaluate the contribution of COVID-19 to persisting vascular injury and to identify parameters linked to COVID-19-associated endothelial dysfunction and inflammatory vasculopathy. Methods: In a cross-sectional design, flow-mediated dilation (FMD), nitroglycerine-related dilation (NMD), pulse-wave velocity (PWV), augmentation index, intima-media thickness (IMT), compounds of the arginine and kynurenine metabolism, homocysteine, von Willebrand factor (vWF), endothelial microparticles (EMP), antiendothelial cell antibodies, inflammatory, and immunological parameters, as well as nailfold capillary morphology were measured in post-COVID-19 patients, patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD) and healthy controls without prior or recent SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results: Post-COVID-19 patients had higher values of PWV, augmentation index, IMT, asymmetric and symmetric dimethylarginine, vWF, homocysteine, CD31+/CD42b– EMP, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, interleukin-6, and β-2-glycoprotein antibodies as well as lower levels of homoarginine and tryptophan compared to healthy controls (all with p < 0.05). A higher total number of pathologically altered inflammatory conditions and higher rates of capillary ramifications, loss, caliber variability, elongations and bushy capillaries with an overall higher microangiopathy evolution score were also observed in post-COVID-19 patients (all with p < 0.05). Most parameters of endothelial dysfunction and inflammation were comparably altered in post-COVID-19 patients and patients with ASCVD, including FMD and NMD. Conclusion: COVID-19 may affect arterial stiffness, capillary morphology, EMP and selected parameters of arginine, kynurenine and homocysteine metabolism as well as of inflammation contributing to COVID-19-associated endothelial dysfunction and inflammatory vasculopathy.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, Inflammation, Endothelial dysfunction, Vasculopathy, capillary changes, 【초록키워드】 Evolution, antibodies, arginine, antibody, SARS-COV-2 infection, interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, cardiovascular disease, metabolism, Arterial stiffness, Patient, von Willebrand factor, morphology, capillary, mechanism, Inflammatory, Post-COVID-19 patients, cross-sectional design, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, Vascular injury, Vascular endothelium, endothelial, atherosclerotic, healthy control, Compound, Variability, MOST, immunological parameters, parameter, Microparticle, inflammatory condition, asymmetric, Affect, Cell, selected, identify, evaluate, contributing to, were measured, homoarginine, post-COVID-19 patient, 【제목키워드】 SARS-CoV-2,