Publication date: Feb 02, 2025

Background and aims: Long COVID symptoms persist globally, with a notable rise in cardiovascular disease (CVD) among COVID-19 survivors, including those without prior risk factors or hospitalizations. This study aims to identify predictors of cardiovascular-related Long COVID symptoms. Methods: This study included subjects with post-SARS-CoV-2 infections, categorizing them into three groups: non-Long COVID (non-LC), Long COVID (LC), and Long COVID with cardiovascular symptoms (cardio-LC) as part of the Polish Long COVID Cardiovascular (PoLoCOV-CVD) study collected between the years 2020 and 2022, comprising 4000 participants. Chi-square tests and logistic regression were used to report the prevalence and determinants of quality of life in cardio-LC, based on patient self-reported data including comorbidities and medications. Results: Of the 704 patients analyzed, 71. 9% were female with a median age of 54 years (IQR: 45-64). Cardio-LC patients had statistically significant differences relative to the non-LC group in terms of blood pressure, elevated LDL cholesterol (p = 0. 010), and non-HDL cholesterol (p = 0. 013). In addition, cardio-LC patients were more likely to be female (p < 0. 001) who exhibited psychological conditions, such as sleep disturbances (p < 0. 001), anxiety (p < 0. 001), and depression (p < 0. 001) compared to the non-LC group. However, the multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that only the female gender and sleep disturbances remained an independent predictor associated with cardio-LC (OR: 1. 66, CI 1. 12-2. 46; OR: 1. 742, CI 1. 12-2. 70) compared to participants without Long COVID. Conclusions: The significant positive association of female gender and sleep disturbances with cardiovascular complications during Long COVID highlights critical demographic and psychological factors that deserve attention in clinical practice.

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