FEATURES OF CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM FUNCTIONING IN CHILDREN AGED 7–9 YEARS AFTER COVID-19 INFECTION (ON THE EXAMPLE OF SUMY REGION)

Abstract

The recent emergence of the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in China is now a global health emergency. There is a higher risk of COVID-19 infection among those with preexisting cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and it has been connected with various direct and indirect complications, including myocarditis, acute myocardial injury, venous thromboembolism, and arrhythmias. The average incubation period is 6.4 days and presenting symptoms typically include fever, cough, dyspnea, myalgia or fatigue. While the majority of patients tend to have a mild illness, a minority of patients develop severe hypoxia requiring hospitalization and mechanical ventilation. Research objective: to investigate the characteristics of cardiovascular system activity in children aged 7–9 years who have recovered from COVID-19. The state of the cardiovascular system was determined using the following indicators: heart rate, systolic and diastolic arterial blood pressure, pulse pressure, stroke volume, and cardiac output. The obtained data underwent statistical processing. Analyzing cardiovascular system indicators in boys aged 7–9 who have had COVID-19, a trend towards an increase in almost all indicators was observed. Only in the group of 7-year-old boys was a decrease in heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and hematocrit (Hct) noted, which amounted to 2,4, 1,8, and 3,7%, respectively. In girls aged 7–9 who had COVID-19, the indicators of the cardiovascular system were characterized by changes in different directions, both towards an increase (HR, systolic and diastolic blood pressure) and towards a decrease (pulse pressure, stroke volume, hematocrit). More pronounced changes in cardiovascular system indicators are typical for 8-year-old boys who have had COVID-19. A similar pattern was observed in girls, but it had a less pronounced character and only affected parameters related to cardiac activity. This study is part of the research project titled “Functional Systems’ State in the Context of Adaptation Reactions and Effects of Biologically Active Compounds under these Conditions”, registered under the number 0123U100614.