• V I Podzolkov, A E Bragina, A I Tarzimanova, E S Ogibenina, I I Shvedov, A A Ivannikov, N К Megeneishvili, and A V Sutulova.
• Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University).
• Terapevt Arkh. 2023 Sep 29; 95 (7): 548553548-553.

AimTo evaluate the relationship between the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) and the marker of procoagulant state - D-dimer in hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Materials And MethodsThis cross-sectional study involved adult patients admitted to the University hospital with clinically diagnosed or laboratory-confirmed COVID-19. We compared groups of patients with normal and elevated CAVI. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association between risk factors and elevated D-dimer levels; odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated to determine the strength of association. A p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsThe study included 152 patients [64 (42.1%) men and 88 (57.9%) women], mean age 59.10±12.74 years. 45 (29.6%) had elevated CAVI. Patients with elevated CAVI were older, had more comorbid diseases, a higher Charlson comorbidity index and D-dimer levels. Age, the comorbidity index, and CAVI above 9.5 were associated with elevated D-dimer levels in patients with COVID-19. In a multivariate logistic regression, CAVI above 9.5 was an independent predictor of increased D-dimer in patients with COVID-19 (OR 2.513, 95% CI 1.050-6.012; p=0.038).ConclusionIn this study, for the first time, the association between a vascular stiffness marker, elevated CAVI, and increased D-dimer levels in COVID-19 patients was shown. This relationship may be a consequence of endothelial dysfunction and can be used as an additional marker of coagulopathy developing as part of COVID-19.

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