Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41909440›Full record

ArticleCureus2026

Galectin-3 and Its Relationship With Left Ventricular and Left Atrial Echocardiographic Changes in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients.

Nana Egiashvili, Nona Kakauridze, Nino Gvajaia, Luiza Gabunia, Levan Ratiani

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Nana EgiashviliDepartment of Internal Medicine, Tbilisi State Medical University, The First University Clinic, Tbilisi, GEO.
Nona KakauridzeDepartment of Internal Medicine, Tbilisi State Medical University, The First University Clinic, Tbilisi, GEO.
Nino GvajaiaDepartment of Internal Medicine, Tbilisi State Medical University, The First University Clinic, Tbilisi, GEO.
Luiza GabuniaDepartment of Clinical Pharmacology, Tbilisi State Medical University, The First University Clinic, Tbilisi, GEO.
Levan RatianiDepartment of Intensive Care Medicine, Tbilisi State Medical University, The First University Clinic, Tbilisi, GEO.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Galectin-3 has been recognized as a biomarker of inflammation and fibrosis in COVID-19, yet its association with echocardiographic indicators of cardiac involvement remains insufficiently understood. This study aimed to assess the relationship between galectin-3 levels and echocardiographic changes of the left ventricle and left atrium in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 41 adults who were divided into moderately symptomatic patients (21/41, 51.2%; within the first week of symptom onset) and severely symptomatic patients (20/41, 48.8%; during the second to third week). All patients underwent standard laboratory testing, including galectin-3 measurement, and transthoracic echocardiography upon admission. Galectin-3 levels were significantly higher in the severe group compared with the moderate group (13.7 ± 7.9 ng/mL vs. 8.7 ± 6.2 ng/mL; p = 0.029). Severe illness was also associated with a larger ascending aortic diameter (p = 0.041) and greater left atrial size (p = 0.05). Although interventricular septal thickness, posterior wall thickness, and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter were similar between groups, left ventricular end-diastolic volume, end-systolic volume, and left ventricular mass were higher in severe cases, but these differences did not reach statistical significance. Left ventricular ejection fraction remained normal in moderate cases and was mildly reduced in severe cases without a statistically significant difference. Galectin-3 demonstrated significant correlations with several echocardiographic markers, most notably left atrial diameter and indices of left ventricular structure and function. These findings suggest that elevated galectin-3 levels are associated with structural myocardial changes in COVID-19. Combined assessment of galectin-3 and echocardiographic parameters may aid in identifying early myocardial involvement and improving cardiovascular risk stratification in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Indexed as

cardiac biomarkerscardiovascular complicationscovid-19echocardiographygalectin-3left atrial enlargementleft ventricular functionmyocardial injury

Identifiers

PMID41909440
PMCPMC13028901

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Registered trials

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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.