Convalescent COVID-19 patients are susceptible to endothelial dysfunction due to persistent immune activation



Chioh, Florence WJ, Fong, Siew-Wai, Young, Barnaby E, Wu, Kan-Xing, Siau, Anthony, Krishnan, Shuba, Chan, Yi-Hao, Carissimo, Guillaume, Teo, Louis LY, Gao, Fei
et al (show 9 more authors) (2021) Convalescent COVID-19 patients are susceptible to endothelial dysfunction due to persistent immune activation. ELIFE, 10. e64909-.

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Abstract

Numerous reports of vascular events after an initial recovery from COVID-19 form our impetus to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on vascular health of recovered patients. We found elevated levels of circulating endothelial cells (CECs), a biomarker of vascular injury, in COVID-19 convalescents compared to healthy controls. In particular, those with pre-existing conditions (e.g., hypertension, diabetes) had more pronounced endothelial activation hallmarks than non-COVID-19 patients with matched cardiovascular risk. Several proinflammatory and activated T lymphocyte-associated cytokines sustained from acute infection to recovery phase, which correlated positively with CEC measures, implicating cytokine-driven endothelial dysfunction. Notably, we found higher frequency of effector T cells in our COVID-19 convalescents compared to healthy controls. The activation markers detected on CECs mapped to counter receptors found primarily on cytotoxic CD8<sup>+</sup> T cells, raising the possibility of cytotoxic effector cells targeting activated endothelial cells. Clinical trials in preventive therapy for post-COVID-19 vascular complications may be needed.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Endothelium, Vascular, Endothelial Cells, Humans, Cardiovascular Diseases, Cytokines, Risk Factors, Lymphocyte Activation, Adult, Aged, Middle Aged, Female, Male, COVID-19
Divisions: Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 18 May 2021 09:52
Last Modified: 25 Jan 2024 22:47
DOI: 10.7554/eLife.64909
Open Access URL: http://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.64909
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3123156