Impact of persistent D-Dimer elevation following recovery from COVID-19

Elevated D-dimer is known as predictor for severity of SARS-CoV2-infection. Thereby, elevated D-dimer is associated with thromboembolic complications, but it is also a direct consequence of the acute lung injury seen in COVID-19 pneumonia.To evaluate the rate of persistent elevated D-dimer and its association with thromboembolic complications and persistent ground glass opacities (GGO) after recovery from COVID-19.In this post hoc analysis of a prospective multicenter trial, patients underwent blood sampling, measurement of diffusion capacity, blood gas analysis and multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) scan following COVID-19. In case of increased D-dimer (>0,5 µg/ml), an additional contrast medium-enhanced CT was performed in absence of contraindications. Results were compared between patients with persistent D-dimer elevation and patients with normal D-dimer.129 patients (median age 48.8 years; range 19-91 years) underwent D-Dimer assessment after a median (IQR) of 94 days (64-130) following COVID-19. D-dimer elevation was found in 15% (19/129) and was significantly more common in patients who had experienced a severe SARS-CoV2 infection that had required hospitalisation compared to patients with mild disease (p=0.049). Contrast-medium CT (n=15) revealed an acute pulmonary embolism in one and CTEPH in another patient. A significant lower mean pO2 (p=0.015) and AaDO2 (p=0.043) were observed in patients with persistent D-Dimer elevation, but the rate of GGO were ...
Source: European Respiratory Journal - Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Tags: Respiratory infections and bronchiectasis Source Type: research