ArticleBMC medical imaging2026
COVID-19 infection during the Omicron wave changed carotid structure compared with uninfected controls: a longitudinal study.
Article in BMC medical imaging, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe major target for SARS-CoV-2, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), is widely expressed in the cardiovascular system, leading to vascular endothelial cell damage and inflammation. The aim of present study is to investigate impacts of Omicron on arterial structure and stiffness using longitudinal data with matched controls.
methodsIn this longitudinal study, we collected clinical characteristics and laboratory values from participants recovered after COVID-19 infections during the Omicron wave (n = 45) and matched uninfected controls (n = 85) around the time of 2022 change in control measures. Corresponding baseline data in 2021 were included for repeated analyses. Carotid arterial properties, including intima-media thickness (IMT), diameter, stiffness and wave reflections were integratively assessed by ultrasound based on the raw radio frequency signal.
resultsClinical characteristics and carotid properties were matched between COVID-19 and control groups at baseline. Carotid IMT was thicker in recovered participants than controls (567 ± 97 vs. 532 ± 88 μm, P = 0.037) at the follow-up of 2022, while no significant differences were found for the diameter, arterial stiffness and wave reflections in the two groups. Repeated ANOVA further revealed that COVID-19 infection was associated with higher increase of carotid IMT and concomitant concentric remodeling in comparison with controls (Ptime × COVID−19 < 0.01).
conclusionsCarotid structure is changed in recovered study participants of COVID-19 during the Omicron wave, featured by increased IMT and concentric remodeling. On the other hand, arterial stiffness and wave reflections seemed unimpacted by the Omicron variant. Whether the Omicron related carotid structure change is permanent or temporary needs further investigation by long-term follow-up.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.