PB0061 - Von Willebrand Factor as a biomarker of endothelial activation/injury in Long COVID patients like what reported in HIV patients under treatment.

Sunday, June 25, 2023

18:30 – 19:30 ET

Room: Exhibition

Presenting Author(s)

Gabriela F. de Larrañaga, PhD

Dr.
Hospital de Infecciosas F. J. Muñiz
Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina

Co-Author(s)

SP

Silvia Perés

Dr
Hospital de Infecciosas F. J. Muñiz
Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Federico Aranda

Dr
Hospital de Infecciosas F. J. Muñiz
Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
VB

Valeria Brichetti

Dr
Hospital Donación Santojanni
Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
JT

Julieta Tejada

Dr
Hospital Donación Santojanni
Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
JV

Javier Vázquez

Dr.
Hospital General de Agudos J. M. Ramos Mejía
Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
MJ

Mónica Jajati

Dr.
Hospital General de Agudos J. M. Ramos Mejía
Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
JC

Julián Chamorro

Dr
Hospital de Infecciosas F. J. Muñiz
Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
AB

Andrea Bocassi

Dr
Hospital de Infecciosas F. J. Muñiz
Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
TR

Tamara Rubilar

Dr
Laboratorio de Química de Organismos Marinos, Instituto Patagónico del Mar, Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco (UNPSJB) and CESIMAR-CONICET
Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina
AC

Augusto Crespi

Dr.
Laboratorio de Química de Organismos Marinos, Instituto Patagónico del Mar, Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco (UNPSJB) and CESIMAR-CONICET
Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina
MS

Martín Sívori

Dr.
Hospital General de Agudos J. M. Ramos Mejía
Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
FS

Fernando Saldarini

Dr.
Hospital Donación Santojanni
Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pathology associated with endotheliitis and microthrombosis. Some patients still show symptoms for several weeks/months after infection. This clinical presentation is known as Long COVID. Although the exact mechanism is unclear, there is evidence of a persistent inflammation in response to different proposed agents: circulating viral particles, autoimmune mechanisms, other viral reactivations, persistent reservoirs of infection and/or the presence of microthrombi. This is equally described in HIV-1 infected patients under treatment despite undetectable viral load (HIV-UVL).
Von Willebrand Factor (vWF) is a useful marker of endothelial dysfunction linked with chronic inflammation.

Aims: Our aims were:1) to evaluate circulating vWF levels in Long COVID patients and correlate them with plasmatic D-Dimer (DD) and Ferritin levels, 2) to compare circulating vWF levels between Long COVID and HIV-UVL.

Methods: We strictly selected 52 subjects between 19 to 60 years, with Long COVID: past infection with SARS-CoV2 confirmed by PCR or antigen and who still had (at least 3) symptoms after 12 weeks: headache, dyspnea, anosmia, ageusia, cough, chest pain, heart palpitations, abdominal symptoms, myalgia, fatigue, cognitive difficulties, depression, or anxiety.
Thirty healthy individuals were selected as a healthy group [age, median and inter-quartile range=33 (29.8-41.0)] and 33 HIV-UVL [age, median and inter-quartile range=38 (33.0-39.5)] were selected as a reference group for persistent inflammation/endothelial activation. Kruskal-Walli’s test was used to compare vWF levels between groups.

Results: Circulating vWF correlated with DD and Ferritin (r=0.271, p=0.052 and r= 0.347, p=0.012, respectively) in Long COVID.
Long COVID patients showed significantly (p < 0.001) higher vWF levels=123 (104.0-152.3) than healthy group=90 (78.8-103.3), but similar (p=0.766) that HIV-UVL =140 (107.0-195.0). Figure 1.

Conclusion(s): We suggest that elevated vWF in Long COVID would be a biomarker that reflects both systemic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction and could be considered a useful marker during patient recovery.