Acute ECG changes and post-COVID arrhythmia incidence in patients with acute COVID-19 infection

Year 2024, Volume: 37 Issue: 1, 23 - 28, 28.01.2024

Zekeriya Doğan , Çiğdem İleri

https://doi.org/10.5472/marumj.1378494

Abstract

Objective: During the COVID-19 pandemic, many patients have experienced cardiovascular complications, including a variety
of arrhythmias. The aim of our study was to evaluate the acute electrocardiography (ECG) changes and post-COVID arrhythmia
incidence in patients with acute COVID-19 infection.
Patients and Methods: One hundred hospitalized COVID-19 patients were consecutively included. Patients were divided into two
groups according to their troponin levels. Thirty subjects were included as controls. All patients underwent daily 12-lead ECG during
hospitalization and were followed up for at least 12 months, by performing ECG and ambulatory ECG monitoring and questioning
their symptoms at 3-month intervals.
Results: Thirty-one patients had elevated high sensitive cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI). These patients had significantly longer QT
dispersion compared to COVID-19 patients with normal troponin levels and controls. Regardless of troponin elevation, COVID-19
patients had significantly longer Tp-e intervals and P wave (PW) durations compared to controls. During the follow-up period;
palpitation, beta-blocker usage, and inappropriate sinus tachycardia were more common in the COVID-19 group with hs-cTnI than
control group.
Conclusion: Our study did not find any relation between serum fibroblast growth factor-21 levels and carotid intima-media thickness.
Further researches with wider study population are needed.

Keywords

Post-COVID, Arrhythmia, Electrocardiography, Troponin

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