Ramadan Montather F, Al-Assadi Iqbal J, Hadj Slama Foued B
College of Dentistry, Al-Ayen University, Thi-Qar, IRQ.
Faculty of Medicine Ibn El Jazzar, University of Sousse, Sousse, TUN.
Cureus. 2024 Sep 22;16(9):e69905. doi: 10.7759/cureus.69905. eCollection 2024 Sep.
COVID-19 has been shown to impair cardiovascular function, and further studies have proven that this effect can be long-term on several cardiovascular biomarkers. Fetuin-A, a multifunctional protein involved in calcification and inflammation, has emerged as an important biomarker in this process. This study investigates the relationship between recovery from COVID-19, cardiovascular health, and concentrations of fetuin-A in patients with high blood pressure.
Seventy-nine men and 36 women were admitted to the Nasiriyah Heart Center in Iraq between March and August 2023, with ages ranging from 5 to 93 years. Clinical data were collected on admission along with blood samples, and serum levels of fetuin-A were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results were analyzed using Python libraries Pandas and SciPy to perform independent sample t-tests to determine mean levels of fetuin-A in various patient subgroups. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
The study showed that patients who had survived COVID-19 had significantly higher levels of fetuin-A compared to healthy controls, with a mean concentration of 103.64 mg/L versus 19.199 mg/L (p < 0.001). Additionally, it was found that patients with high blood pressure had increased levels of fetuin-A compared to those without high blood pressure, with a mean concentration of 109.01 mg/L versus 95.88 mg/L (p = 0.025). These results suggest that COVID-19 may alter the usual relationship between blood pressure and cardiovascular biomarkers.
This study emphasizes the complex interaction between recovery from COVID-19 and cardiovascular health, primarily through the levels of fetuin-A. The increase in fetuin-A among hypertensive patients suggests that COVID-19 may enhance cardiovascular risk, highlighting the need for stricter monitoring and tailored treatment strategies. Further studies are needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms, which will help develop effective clinical guidelines for managing cardiovascular health in COVID-19 survivors.
新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）已被证明会损害心血管功能，进一步研究证实这种影响在几种心血管生物标志物上可能是长期的。胎球蛋白-A是一种参与钙化和炎症的多功能蛋白质，已成为这一过程中的重要生物标志物。本研究调查了高血压患者COVID-19康复、心血管健康与胎球蛋白-A浓度之间的关系。
2023年3月至8月期间，79名男性和36名女性被收治到伊拉克纳西里耶心脏中心，年龄在5至93岁之间。入院时收集临床数据及血样，采用酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）法检测血清胎球蛋白-A水平。使用Python库Pandas和SciPy对结果进行分析，以进行独立样本t检验，确定不同患者亚组中胎球蛋白-A的平均水平。p值小于0.05被认为具有统计学意义。
研究表明，与健康对照组相比，COVID-19康复患者的胎球蛋白-A水平显著更高，平均浓度分别为103.64mg/L和19.199mg/L（p<0.001）。此外，发现高血压患者的胎球蛋白-A水平高于无高血压患者，平均浓度分别为109.01mg/L和95.88mg/L（p=0.025）。这些结果表明，COVID-19可能会改变血压与心血管生物标志物之间的通常关系。
本研究强调了COVID-19康复与心血管健康之间的复杂相互作用，主要通过胎球蛋白-A水平体现。高血压患者中胎球蛋白-A的增加表明COVID-19可能会增加心血管风险，凸显了加强监测和制定个性化治疗策略的必要性。需要进一步研究以阐明潜在机制，这将有助于制定针对COVID-19康复者心血管健康管理的有效临床指南。
