OBJECTIVE

To analyze the relationship between occlusive-stenotic changes in the brachiocephalic arteries (BCA), the severity of lung damage in COVID-19, and other risk factors for BCA stenosis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study included 163 patients with BCA stenosis: 105 with post-COVID syndrome (main group) and 58 with no history of COVID-19 (control group). Concomitant risks of atherosclerosis were identified in both groups. Based on the results of ultrasonic duplex scanning, the following subgroups were identified: non-stenosing atherosclerosis, mild, moderate, severe, and critical stenosis/occlusion of BCA. Blood chemistry tests were measured: aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, glucose, total cholesterol, low (LDL) and high (HDL) density lipoproteins, triglycerides, and C-reactive protein.

RESULTS

Cholesterol and LDL were elevated in all patients. In patients with a COVID history, more severe BCA stenosis was observed, and the glucose level was higher than in the control. Age is a predictor of stenosis: the critical value in the control group is 69 years vs. 62 years in the main group. There were no significant differences in blood parameters between subgroups distinguished by the severity of BCA stenosis, the severity of lung damage in the acute phase of COVID-19, and age within the study groups. In post-COVID patients, LDL and triglycerides (subgroup 45+), LDL, C-reactive protein, and glucose (subgroup 55+) were closer to reference values than in the control group. Comparison of age vs. stenosis regression lines showed differences in the position of the lines with equal slope, which indicates a more severe condition of patients with post-COVID syndrome and an earlier manifestation of the disease with a similar rate of stenosis progression with age.

CONCLUSION

Premature vascular aging induced by the SARS-CoV-2 virus is the leading risk factor for more severe occlusive-stenotic lesions of BCA in patients with a COVID history compared to the control.