BACKGROUNDS. According to some studies, more than 50% of patients develop non specific symptoms such as dyspnoea, chest pain, palpitations, dizziness, and a feeling of reduced physical performance after infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coro navirus 2(SARS-CoV-2). This cluster of symptoms is referred to as long coronavirus disea se (COVID) syndrome. Its etiology is not yet clear, but the pathogenesis likely involves cardiovascular dysfunction in the context of autonomic nervous system involvement. The aim of this research is to investigate the impact of the consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infec tion on the cardiovascular system in adult patients. METHODS. The observational cli nical study included 44 adult patients (mean age 45.2±11.5 years) with symptoms of long COVID and 20 healthy control subjects (mean age 48.5 ± 11.5 years) without symptoms typical of long covid. All subject underwent a 24-hour electrocardiogram, cycle ergometry, and echocardiography. The results were statistically analyzed using the two-tailed Student’s t-test and Fisher’s exact test. RESULTS. Differences in the percentage of pre dicted maximal aerobic capacity (p=0.120), mean resting heart rate (p=0.607), and heart rate variability (p =0.680) between the groups were not statistically significant. Echocardiography did not reveal statistically significant structural and functional chan ges of the heart between the groups (p =0.064). DISCUSSION. Although no statistically significant differences were demonstrated, patients with long COVID exibited a trend toward lower aerobic capacity, higher resting heart rate, and lower heart rate variability. It was also expected, given the existing research, that we would not find ultrasound-identifia ble cardiac changes in these patients.
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