Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of COVID‐19 patients
| Baseline characteristics | COVID‐19 patients (n = 64) | HFA‐PEFF 0–1 points (n = 27, 42%) | HFA‐PEFF 2–4 points (n = 21, 33%) | HFA‐PEFF 5–6 points (n = 16, 25%) | P‐value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 56 ± 19 | 46 ± 15 ### | 53 ± 16 ### | 76 ± 11 | <0.001 |
| Female sex | 20 (31) | 6 (22) | 7 (33) | 7 (44) | 0.33 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 27.1 ± 4.7 | 26.1 ± 4.4 | 28.3 ± 5.8 | 27.3 ± 3.5 | 0.29 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 126 ± 16 | 124 ± 14 # | 122 ± 19 # | 135 ± 14 | 0.041 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 76 ± 11 | 75 ± 10 | 76 ± 12 | 76 ± 14 | 0.96 |
| Severe disease according to WHO | 44 (69) | 16 (59) # | 13 (62) # | 15 (94) | 0.044 |
| Dyspnoea | 38 (59) | 15 (56) | 11 (52) | 12 (75) | 0.33 |
| Peripheral oedema | 6 (9) | 2 (7) | 3 (14) | 1 (6) | 0.64 |
| Length of hospitalization (days) | 10 (5–15) | 8 (4–11) | 11 (7–19) | 13 (8–21) | 0.021 |
| Medical history | |||||
| Arterial hypertension | 28 (44) | 5 (19) ### | 7 (33) ### | 16 (100) | <0.001 |
| Atrial fibrillation | 8 (13) | 0 ## | 2 (10) # | 6 (38) | <0.001 |
| Coronary artery disease | 8 (13) | 0 ## | 2 (10) # | 6 (38) | <0.001 |
| Myocardial infarction | 3 (3) | 0 # | 0 # | 3 (19) | 0.009 |
| Diabetes mellitus type 2 | 9 (14) | 2 (7) | 3 (14) | 4 (25) | 0.28 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 7 (11) | 1 (4) | 3 (14) | 3 (19) | 0.26 |
| Chronic kidney disease ≥G4 (KDIGO) 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.00 |
| Cardiovascular medications | |||||
| ACE inhibitors | 7 (11) | 0 ## | 1 (5) # | 6 (38) | <0.001 |
| ARBs | 8 (13) | 1 (4) | 3 (14) | 4 (25) | 0.12 |
| Beta‐blockers a | 18 (28) | 3 (11) ### | 4 (19) ## | 11 (69) | <0.001 |
| Diuretics b | 8 (13) | 0 ### | 0 ### | 8 (50) | <0.001 |
| Blood parameters | |||||
| Sodium (mmol/L) | 137 ± 3 | 138 ± 4 | 137 ± 3 | 136 ± 4 | 0.19 |
| Potassium (mmol/L) | 3.8 ± 0.4 | 3.8 ± 0.3 | 3.8 ± 0.4 | 3.8 ± 0.4 | 0.96 |
| eGFR (mL/min) | 93.9 ± 24.4 | 107.1 ± 18.1 * , ### | 92.4 ± 25.3 ## | 73.8 ± 18.4 | <0.001 |
| hsTnT (ng/L) | 8 (5–16) | 5 (4–7) ### | 8 (6–12) ## | 25 (15–29) | <0.001 |
| NT‐proBNP (ng/L) | 153 (73–509) | 74 (21–126) ** , ### | 162 (92–498) ## | 977 (265–2817) | <0.001 |
| CRP (mg/L) | 27 (8–86) | 36 (9–99) | 12 (5–60) | 25 (10–90) | 0.36 |
| Haemoglobin (g/dL) | 12.5 ± 2.0 | 13.2 ± 2.1 ## | 12.3 ± 1.8 | 11.6 ± 1.8 | 0.032 |
| Leucocytes (/nL) | 7.3 ± 3.1 | 6.6 ± 3.2 | 8.0 ± 3.1 | 7.7 ± 2.9 | 0.30 |
| Thrombocytes (/nL) | 280 ± 117 | 259 ± 113 | 315 ± 139 | 268 ± 86 | 0.24 |
| Resting ECG parameters | |||||
| Sinus rhythm | 58 (91) | 27 (100) ## | 21 (100) ## | 10 (63) | <0.001 |
| Atrial fibrillation | 4 (6) | 0 ## | 0 # | 4 (25) | 0.002 |
| Heart rate (bpm) | 76 ± 14 | 74 ± 12 | 78 ± 19 | 74 ± 12 | 0.74 |
| QRS interval (ms) | 100 ± 16 | 99 ± 9 | 97 ± 6 | 107 ± 30 | 0.14 |
| QTc (ms) | 432 ± 28 | 423 ± 20 | 437 ± 25 | 441 ± 38 | 0.073 |
| QTc ≥440 ms | 23 (36) | 5 (19) * , # | 10 (48) | 8 (50) | 0.046 |
| Echocardiographic parameters | |||||
| LV ejection fraction (%) | 65 ± 4 | 66 ± 3 ## | 65 ± 3 | 63 ± 4 | 0.014 |
| Global longitudinal strain (%) | −16.3 ± 5.7 | −16.7 ± 7.8 | −17.4 ± 2.1 | −14.0 ± 2.8 | 0.28 |
| HFA‐PEFF score (points) | 2 (1–5) | 1 (0–1) ** , ### | 3 (2–4) # | 5 (5–6) | <0.001 |
| H2FPEF score (points) | 1 (0–3) | 1 (0–1) ### | 1 (1–2) ## | 4 (2–7) | <0.001 |
| LV wall thickness (mm) | 10.6 ± 1.6 | 9.9 ± 1.2 ### | 10.5 ± 1.6 ### | 11.8 ± 1.5 | <0.001 |
| LV mass index (g/m2) | 97 ± 28 | 85 ± 20 ### | 97 ± 23 # | 115 ± 37 | 0.003 |
| Relative wall thickness | 0.42 ± 0.09 | 0.39 ± 0.07 ### | 0.42 ± 0.11 # | 0.47 ± 0.06 | 0.006 |
| Left atrial volume index (mL/m2) | 22.9 ± 10.8 | 18.9 ± 6.1 ### | 22.7 ± 7.2 # | 29.9 ± 16.6 | 0.004 |
| Mitral E/A ratio | 1.1 ± 0.4 | 1.3 ± 0.4 * , ## | 1.0 ± 0.5 | 0.8 ± 0.3 | 0.008 |
| Diastolic dysfunction (n,%) | 27 (42) | 3 (11)*** , ### | 11 (52) | 13 (81) | <0.001 |
| Grade 1 (E/A < 1 + E/e′ mean <10) | 19 (30) | 3 (11)*** , # | 10 (48) | 6 (38) | 0.017 |
| Grade 2 (E/A ≥ 1 + E/e′ mean 10–14) | 4 (6) | 0 # | 1 (5) | 3 (19) | 0.046 |
| Grade 3 (E/A >= 1 + E/e′ mean >14) | 4 (6) | 0 ## | 0 # | 4 (25) | 0.002 |
| RV dysfunction (TAPSE <18 mm and/or RV S′ <0.10 m/s) | 6 (9) | 1 (4) ## | 0 ## | 5 (31) | 0.008 |
| Septal e′ (cm/s) | 8.7 ± 2.8 | 10.1 ± 2.7 ### | 8.8 ± 2.4 ### | 6.3 ± 1.7 | <0.001 |
| Lateral e′ (cm/s) | 11.1 ± 3.5 | 12.9 ± 3.2 ### | 11.2 ± 2.2 ### | 8.3 ± 2.7 | <0.001 |
| TR velocity (m/s) | 2.38 ± 0.42 | 2.24 ± 0.23 ### | 2.29 ± 0.29 ### | 2.70 ± 0.59 | 0.001 |
| Pulmonary artery systolic pressure (mmHg) | 28 ± 8 | 26 ± 4 ### | 26 ± 6 ### | 33 ± 11 | 0.010 |
Normal distributed variables are presented as mean ± standard deviation, non‐parametric variables as median (interquartile range), and nominal variables as n (%).
ACE, angiotensin‐converting enzyme; ARB, angiotensin receptor blocker; BMI, body mass index; CRP, C‐reactive protein; e′, mitral annulus early diastolic velocity; E/A, early filling velocity (E) and late filling velocity (A) ratio through the mitral annulus; ECG, electrocardiogram; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; hsTnT, high‐sensitivity troponin T; LV, left ventricular; NT‐proBNP, N‐terminal pro B‐type natriuretic peptide; RV, right ventricular; RV S′, right ventricular systolic excursion velocity; TAPSE, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion, TR, tricuspid regurgitation; WHO, World Health Organization.
P < 0.05 vs. HFA‐PEFF 2–4 points.
P < 0.01 vs. HFA‐PEFF 2–4 points.
P < 0.001 vs. HFA‐PEFF 2–4 points.
P < 0.05 vs. HFA‐PEFF 5–6 points.
P < 0.01 vs. HFA‐PEFF 5–6 points.
P < 0.001 vs. HFA‐PEFF 5–6 points.
16 (89%) of 18 patients already used beta‐blockers before hospital admission.
7 (88%) of 8 patients already used diuretics before hospital admission.