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Goldstein DS. Post-COVID dysautonomias: what we know and (mainly) what we don't know. Nat Rev Neurol 2024; 20:99-113. [PMID: 38212633 DOI: 10.1038/s41582-023-00917-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
Following on from the COVID-19 pandemic is another worldwide public health challenge that is referred to variously as long COVID, post-COVID syndrome or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC). PASC comes in many forms and affects all body organs. This heterogeneous presentation suggests involvement of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which has numerous roles in the maintenance of homeostasis and coordination of responses to various stressors. Thus far, studies of ANS dysregulation in people with PASC have been largely observational and descriptive, based on symptom inventories or objective but indirect measures of cardiovascular function, and have paid little attention to the adrenomedullary, hormonal and enteric nervous components of the ANS. Such investigations do not consider the syndromic nature of autonomic dysfunction. This Review provides an update on the literature relating to ANS abnormalities in people with post-COVID syndrome and presents a theoretical perspective on how the ANS might participate in common features of PASC.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S Goldstein
- Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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da Silva FS, Bonifácio LP, Bellissimo-Rodrigues F, Joaquim LF, Martins Dias DP, Dias Romano MM, Schmidt A, Crescêncio JC, Buzinari TC, Fazan R, Salgado HC. Investigating autonomic nervous system dysfunction among patients with post-COVID condition and prolonged cardiovascular symptoms. Front Med (Lausanne) 2023; 10:1216452. [PMID: 37901410 PMCID: PMC10603238 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1216452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and arterial pressure (AP) variability and their responses to head-up tilt test (HUTT) were investigated in Post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) patients reporting tachycardia and/or postural hypotension. Besides tachycardia, PCS patients also showed attenuation of the following HRV parameters: RMSSD [square root of the mean of the sum of the squares of differences between adjacent normal-to-normal (NN) intervals] from statistical measures; the power of RR (beat-to-beat interval) spectra at HF (high frequency) from the linear method spectral analysis; occurrence of 2UV (two unlike variation) pattern of RR from the nonlinear method symbolic analysis; and the new family of statistics named sample entropy, when compared to control subjects. Basal AP and LF (low frequency) power of systolic AP were similar between PCS patients and control subjects, while 0 V (zero variation) patterns of AP from the nonlinear method symbolic analysis were exacerbated in PCS patients. Despite tachycardia and a decrease in RMSSD, no parameter of HRV changed during HUTT in PCS patients compared to control subjects. PCS patients reassessed after 6 months showed higher HF power of RR spectra and a higher percentage of 2UV pattern of RR. Moreover, the reassessed PCS patients showed a lower occurrence of 0 V patterns of AP, while the HUTT elicited HR (heart rate) and AP responses identical to control subjects. The HRV and AP variability suggest an autonomic dysfunction with sympathetic predominance in PCS patients. In contrast, the lack of responses of HRV and AP variability indices during HUTT indicates a marked impairment of autonomic control. Of note, the reassessment of PCS patients showed that the noxious effect of COVID-19 on autonomic control tended to fade over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernanda Stábile da Silva
- Department of Physiology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Lívia Pimenta Bonifácio
- Department of Social Medicine, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Minna Moreira Dias Romano
- Department of Internal Medicine, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - André Schmidt
- Department of Internal Medicine, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Júlio César Crescêncio
- Department of Internal Medicine, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Tereza C. Buzinari
- Department of Physiology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Rubens Fazan
- Department of Physiology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Helio Cesar Salgado
- Department of Physiology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
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Luck JC, Blaha C, Cauffman A, Gao Z, Arnold AC, Cui J, Sinoway LI. Autonomic and vascular function testing in collegiate athletes following SARS-CoV-2 infection: an exploratory study. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1225814. [PMID: 37528892 PMCID: PMC10389084 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1225814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Recent studies suggest that SARS-CoV-2 infection alters autonomic and vascular function in young, otherwise healthy, adults. However, whether these alterations exist in young competitive athletes remains unknown. This study aimed to assess the effects of COVID-19 on cardiac autonomic control and vascular function in collegiate athletes who tested positive for COVID-19, acknowledging the limitations imposed by the early stages of the pandemic. Methods: Sixteen collegiate athletes from various sports underwent a battery of commonly used autonomic and vascular function tests (23 ± 9, range: 12-44 days post-infection). Additionally, data from 26 healthy control participants were included. Results: In response to the Valsalva maneuver, nine athletes had a reduced early phase II blood pressure response and/or reduced Valsalva ratio. A depressed respiratory sinus arrhythmia amplitude was observed in three athletes. Three athletes became presyncopal during standing and did not complete the 10-min orthostatic challenge. Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation, when allometrically scaled to account for differences in baseline diameter, was not different between athletes and controls (10.0% ± 3.5% vs. 7.1% ± 2.4%, p = 0.058). Additionally, no differences were observed between groups when FMD responses were normalized by shear rate (athletes: 0.055% ± 0.026%/s-1, controls: 0.068% ± 0.049%/s-1, p = 0.40). Discussion: Few atypical and borderline responses to autonomic function tests were observed in athletes following an acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. The most meaningful autonomic abnormality being the failure of three athletes to complete a 10-min orthostatic challenge. These findings suggest that some athletes may develop mild alterations in autonomic function in the weeks after developing COVID-19, while vascular function is not significantly impaired.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Carter Luck
- Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State Heart and Vascular Institute, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States
| | - Cheryl Blaha
- Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State Heart and Vascular Institute, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States
| | - Aimee Cauffman
- Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State Heart and Vascular Institute, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States
| | - Zhaohui Gao
- Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State Heart and Vascular Institute, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States
| | - Amy C. Arnold
- Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States
| | - Jian Cui
- Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State Heart and Vascular Institute, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States
| | - Lawrence I. Sinoway
- Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State Heart and Vascular Institute, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States
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Latchman PL, Yang Q, Morgenthaler D, Kong L, Sebagisha J, Melendez L, Green CA, Bernard S, Mugno R, De Meersman R. Autonomic modulation, spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity and fatigue in young men after COVID-19. Physiol Res 2023; 72:329-336. [PMID: 37449746 PMCID: PMC10669003 DOI: 10.33549/physiolres.935051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Impaired autonomic modulation and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) have been reported during and after COVID-19. Both impairments are associated with negative cardiovascular outcomes. If these impairments were to exist undetected in young men after COVID-19, they could lead to negative cardiovascular outcomes. Fatigue is associated with autonomic dysfunction during and after COVID-19. It is unclear if fatigue can be used as an indicator of impaired autonomic modulation and BRS after COVID-19. This study aims to compare parasympathetic modulation, sympathetic modulation, and BRS between young men who had COVID-19 versus controls and to determine if fatigue is associated with impaired autonomic modulation and BRS. Parasympathetic modulation as the high-frequency power of R-R intervals (lnHFR-R), sympathetic modulation as the low-frequency power of systolic blood pressure variability (LFSBP), and BRS as the -index were measured by power spectral density analysis. These variables were compared between 20 young men who had COVID-19 and 24 controls. Independent t-tests and Mann-Whitney U tests indicated no significant difference between the COVID-19 and the control group in: lnHFR-R, P=0.20; LFSBP, P=0.11, and -index, P=0.20. Fatigue was not associated with impaired autonomic modulation or BRS. There is no difference in autonomic modulations or BRS between young men who had COVID-19 compared to controls. Fatigue did not seem to be associated with impaired autonomic modulation or impaired BRS in young men after COVID-19. Findings suggest that young men might not be at increased cardiovascular risk from COVID-19-related dysautonomia and impaired BRS.
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Affiliation(s)
- P L Latchman
- Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.A.
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