Evaluation of High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin T Levels in Japanese Patients Recently Recovered From Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Ide, Satoshi; Hayama, Hiromasa; Asai, Yusuke; Terada, Mari; Nomoto, Hidetoshi; Kutsuna, Satoshi; Ohmagari, Norio; Hiroi, Yukio

BACKGROUND Several studies have reported elevated troponin levels in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, so we investigated myocardial damage by measuring high-sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT) levels and analyzed the relationship with comorbidities.Methods and Results:Of 209 patients who recently recovered from COVID-19, 65% had an elevated hsTnT level that was higher than levels in patients with acute phase infection despite most patients (79%) having a mild illness. The hsTnT levels correlated with disease severity, sex, comorbidities, and ACEi and ARB use. CONCLUSIONS Myocardial damage occurs in the recovery phase of COVID-19, and its evaluation, regardless of patient age, should be considered.