Systemic microvascular dysfunction in COVID-19

Abstract

COVID-19, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), while having lung injury as its most prominent feature, has been increasingly shown to affect endothelial cell function and the microvasculature. In this report, a woman with COVID-19, cardiac valve disease and spherocytosis was assessed with laser Doppler perfusion monitoring. Systemic microvascular reactivity was impaired during a worsening phase of COVID-19, but improved after clinical recovery; microcirculatory dysfunction paralleled systemic inflammation and pulmonary involvement. The assessment of systemic microcirculatory function may therefore provide insights on COVID-19 pathophysiology.

Keywords: COVID-19; cardiac valve disease; endothelial dysfunction; laser Doppler perfusion imaging; microvascular reactivity.