Previous Myocardial Injury Tied to Worse COVID-19 Outcomes

THURSDAY, May 12, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Unvaccinated COVID-19 patients with preexisting myocardial injury have a substantially greater risk for six adverse COVID-19 outcomes, including death and severe disease, according to research published online April 26 in Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine.

Sher May Ng, M.R.C.P., from St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London, and colleagues quantified the excess risk of adverse COVID-19 outcomes in unvaccinated individuals with diabetes mellitus, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and myocardial injury using data from 110 studies (48,809 COVID-19 patients).

The researchers found that myocardial injury had the strongest association for all six adverse COVID-19 outcomes (odds ratios, 8.85, 5.70, 3.42, 4.85, 10.49, and 5.10 for death, acute respiratory distress syndrome [ARDS], invasive mechanical ventilation, admission to intensive care, acute kidney injury [AKI], and severe COVID-19 disease, respectively). There were significant associations observed between hypertension and diabetes mellitus and death, ARDS, admission to intensive care, AKI, and severe COVID-19. Differences in age, gender, geographical region, and recruitment period partially explained the substantial heterogeneity in results.

"These findings provide comprehensive quantitative data that can be used in risk prediction and risk stratification by clinicians as well as policymakers," the authors write. "It also provides the underpinning evidence for the vaccination policies targeting vulnerable patients."

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