Characteristics of Patients Referred to a Cardiovascular Disease Clinic for Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection

There is limited literature on the cardiovascular manifestations of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC). We aimed to describe the characteristics, diagnostic evaluations, and cardiac diagnoses in patients referred to a cardiovascular disease clinic designed for patients with PASC from May 2020 to September 2021. Of 126 patients, average age was 46 years (range 19-81 years), 43 (34%) were male. Patients presented on average five months after COVID-19 diagnosis. 30 (24%) patients were hospitalized for acute COVID-19. Severity of acute COVID-19 was mild in 37%, moderate in 41%, severe in 11%, and critical in 9%. Patients were also followed for PASC by pulmonology (53%), neurology (33%), otolaryngology (11%), and rheumatology (7%). Forty-three patients (34%) did not have significant comorbidities. The most common symptoms were dyspnea (52%), chest pain/pressure (48%), palpitations (44%), and fatigue (42%), commonly associated with exertion or exercise intolerance. The following cardiovascular diagnoses were identified: nonischemic cardiomyopathy (5%); new ischemia (3%); coronary vasospasm (2%); new atrial fibrillation (2%), new supraventricular tachycardia (2%); myocardial involvement (15%) by cardiac MRI, characterized by late gadolinium enhancement (LGE; 60%) or inflammation (48%). The remaining 97 patients (77%) exhibited common symptoms of fatigue, dyspnea on exertion, tachycardia, or chest pain, which we termed “cardiovascular PASC syndrome.” Three of these people met criteria for postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. Lower severity of acute COVID-19 was a significant predictor of cardiovascular PASC syndrome. In this cohort of patients referred to cardiology for PASC, 23% had a new diagnosis, but most displayed a pattern of symptoms associated with exercise intolerance.