1. COVID-19 Infections in Adults with Congenital Heart Disease—A Prospective Single-Center Study in an Outpatient Setting.
- Author
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Langes, Nora, Meierhofer, Christian, Nagdyman, Nicole, Maurer, Susanne J., Bourier, Felix, Halle, Martin, Holdenrieder, Stefan, Ewert, Peter, and Tutarel, Oktay
- Subjects
CONGENITAL heart disease ,CONGENITAL disorders ,CARDIAC magnetic resonance imaging ,COVID-19 ,COVID-19 testing - Abstract
Background: COVID-19 might pose a risk for adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD). However, data regarding the rate of infection as well as myocardial involvement in ACHD patients are currently lacking. Methods: During the study period from January to June 2021, all consecutive outpatients from our ACHD clinic were eligible to participate. Clinical data were collected. An antibody test for COVID-19 was performed in all patients. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) was offered to those with a positive antibody test. Results: Overall, 420 patients (44.8% female, mean age 36.4 ± 11.6 years) participated. Congenital heart defect (CHD) complexity was simple in 96 (22.9%), moderate in 186 (44.3%), complex in 117 (27.9%), and miscellaneous in 21 (5.0%) patients. Altogether, 28 (6.7%) patients had a positive antibody test. Out of these, 14 had an asymptomatic course. The others had mainly mild symptoms and were managed as outpatients. Furthermore, 11 patients (39.3%) had even not been aware of their infection. Fourteen patients underwent a CMR without signs of myocardial involvement in any of them. Conclusions: We observed a number of undetected cases of COVID-19 infections in our ACHD population. Reassuringly, in all cases, the infection had a mild clinical course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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