Internal and emergency medicine
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Cardiac dysfunction, mainly assessed by biomarker alterations, has been described in COVID-19 infection. However, there are still areas of uncertainty regarding its effective role in disease evolution. Aim of this study was to evaluate early echocardiographic parameters in COVID pneumonia and their association with severity disease and prognosis. ⋯ A mild sPAP increase in severe pneumonia patients with respect to those with milder disease was the only significant finding at early echocardiographic examination, without other signs of new onset major cardiac dysfunction. Future studies are needed to deepen the knowledge regarding minor cardiac functional perturbation in the evolution of a complex systemic disorder, in which the respiratory involvement appears as the main character, at least in non-ICU patients.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular events in atrial fibrillation. A prospective multicenter cohort study.
Whether non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events (CVEs) independently from metabolic syndrome (MetS) is still matter of debate. Aim of the study was to investigate the risk of CVEs in a high-risk population of patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) according to the presence of MetS and NAFLD. Prospective observational multicenter study including 1,735 patients with non-valvular AF treated with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) or direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs). ⋯ Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that use of DOACs, and female sex were inversely associated with CVEs, whilst age, heart failure, previous cardiac and cerebrovascular events, and group 2 (Group 2, Hazard Ratio 1.517, 95% Confidence Interval, 1.010-2.280) were directly associated with CVEs. In patients with AF, MetS increases the risk of CVEs. Patients with NAFLD alone have lower cardiovascular risk but may experience higher liver-related complications.