Clinical Assessment of Endothelial Function in Convalescent COVID-19 Patients Undergoing Multidisciplinary Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Abstract

Background: Growing evidence points to a key role of endothelial dysfunction in the pathogenesis of COVID-19. In this study, we evaluated changes in endothelium-dependent flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in a cohort of convalescent COVID-19 patients undergoing pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). Methods: After swab test negativization, convalescent COVID-19 patients referring to a post-acute care facility for PR were consecutively screened for inclusion. Study procedures were performed at the time of hospitalization and discharge. Results: We enrolled 82 convalescent COVID-19 patients (85.4% males, mean age 60.4 years). After PR, a significant improvement in most pulmonary function tests and exercise capacity was documented. FMD changed from 2.48% ± 2.01 to 4.24% ± 2.81 (p p = 0.013). Values of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1%), forced vital capacity (FVC%) and diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO%) significantly and directly correlated with FMD both at baseline and after PR. Patients with normal FEV1% (≥80% predicted) during the overall study period or those normalizing FEV1% after PR showed a more significant FMD change as compared to patients with persistently impaired FEV1% (p for trend = 0.029). This finding was confirmed in a multivariate analysis. Conclusions: Clinically evaluated endothelial function improves after PR in convalescent COVID-19 patients. A direct and persistent association between the severity of pulmonary and vascular disease can be hypothesized. Endothelial function testing may be useful in the follow-up of convalescent COVID-19 patients.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• biomarkers
• endothelial function
• rehabilitation
• disability
• exercise