ABSTRACT
Clinicians are frequently facing patients complaining of post-COVID-19 chest pain and dyspnea. However, it remains to be seen if these symptoms indicate pathology of the cardiovascular system. We aimed to evaluate heart functions in outpatients with post-COVID-19 chest pain and dyspnea, using 2D-speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE). This cross-sectional study recruited consecutive patients who presented to cardiology outpatient clinics between June 15 and July 15, 2021. Subjects had recovered from COVID-19 1-2 months prior to admission. ECG, echocardiography including 2D-STE images, were obtained for all patients. Findings were compared with sex and an age-matched control group consisting of 67 healthy adults. A total of 78 patients were included. The median age was 38 (IQR, 34-45) years, and 64.1% were female. There were no significant differences between the patients and control group regarding laboratory, ECG, and echocardiography findings. Moreover, left ventricle global longitudinal strain (LVGLS) measurements in both patient and control groups were within the normal ranges and did not show a significant difference [-20.5 (-21.8- -17.9) vs. -19.8 (-21.4- -18.9), p=0.894]. Post-COVID-19 chest pain and dyspnea are unlikely signs of cardiovascular involvement in outpatient young adults who had not been hospitalized with COVID-19.