Interrelationships Between Plasma Levels of Brain Natriuretic Peptide and Prolonged Symptoms Due to Long COVID, 2025, Masuda et al

Interrelationships Between Plasma Levels of Brain Natriuretic Peptide and Prolonged Symptoms Due to Long COVID

Yohei Masuda, Yuki Otsuka, Kazuki Tokumasu, Hiroyuki Honda, Yasue Sakurada, Yui Matsuda, Yasuhiro Nakano, Ryosuke Takase, Daisuke Omura, Toru Hasegawa, Keigo Ueda, Fumio Otsuka

Objectives
Evidence for the usefulness of biomarkers that aid in diagnosis, assessment of severity, and prediction of prognosis in patients with long COVID is limited. The aim of this study was to clarify the characteristics of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) in long COVID.

Methods
We conducted a retrospective observational study of patients who visited the COVID-19 aftercare outpatient clinic at Okayama University Hospital from February 2021 to April 2024.

Results
A total of 428 patients were enrolled in this study, and the patients were divided into a group with normal BNP (n = 314, ≤18.4 pg/mL) and a group with increased BNP (n = 114, >18.4 pg/mL). The long COVID group with increased BNP had a higher proportion of females (44.3% vs. 73.7%, p < 0.01) and an older median age (38 vs. 51 years, p < 0.01). Fatigue and brain fog were commonly manifested in both groups, while dyspnea was a more frequent complaint in the group with increased BNP. Various symptoms including fatigue, palpitations, and taste and/or olfactory disorders were associated with elevated BNP (23 to 24 pg/mL). Memory impairment was also linked to higher BNP (OR: 2.36, p = 0.05). In long COVID patients, plasma BNP elevation appears to be more pronounced in females and is often related to cardiogenic factors, in which inflammatory responses are also involved.

Conclusions
Plasma BNP measurement may be useful for evaluating the severity of long COVID, especially in female patients and those with respiratory symptoms and/or memory impairment.

Link | PDF (Journal of Clinical Medicine) [Open Access]

 

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