Search Results (140)

Background: Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is a malignancy of the immune system that includes several subtypes, most commonly diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma. Its etiology is multifactorial, with risk factors such as immunosuppressive therapy, infections, chemical exposure, and advanced age. A key aspect is the bidirectional relationship between lymphoma and immunodeficiency, which increases susceptibility to recurrent infections and complicates disease management. Case presentation: One particularly challenging case during the COVID-19 pandemic involved a patient with a personal history of diffuse B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, diagnosed 5 years earlier, who had undergone eight cycles of rituximab-based chemotherapy. The patient tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 for three consecutive months and experienced repeated urinary tract infections warranting more in-depth investigations. The uniqueness of this case lies in the rare association of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, suspected post-rituximab immunodeficiency, severe COVID-19 infection, and recurrent urinary tract infections, which complicated clinical management. Despite appropriate treatment for both respiratory and urinary infections, as well as eight cycles of chemotherapy, the patient’s condition continued to deteriorate significantly, ultimately requiring intravenous immunoglobulin replacement therapy. Following the treatment, the patient presented a remarkable clinical improvement, with resolution of the signs and symptoms, and an absence of further recurrent infections. The patient remained clinically stable under regular immunoglobulin replacement therapy, with sustained infection control and improved quality of life. Conclusions: This case highlights the importance of assessing immune status in patients with a hematological malignancy, especially when recurrent infections persist. Full article

COVID-19 infection is often accompanied by psychological symptoms, which may persist long after the end of the infection (long COVID). The symptoms include fatigue, cognitive impairment, and anxiety. The reason for these long-term effects is currently unclear. Therapeutic approaches have included cognitive rehabilitation therapy, physical activity, and serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) if depression co-exists. The neuropsychological evaluation of subjects with suspected cognitive issues is essential for the correct diagnosis. Most of the COVID-19 studies used the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) or the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). However, MoCA scores can be confusing if not interpreted correctly. For this reason, we have developed an original technique to map cognitive domains and motor performance on various brain areas in COVID-19 patients aiming at improving the follow-up of long-COVID-19 symptoms. To this end, we retrospectively reanalyzed data from a cohort of 40 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 without requiring intubation or hemodialysis. Cognitive function was tested during hospitalization and six months after. Global cognitive function and cognitive domains were retrieved using MoCA tests. Laboratory data were retrieved regarding kidney function, electrolytes, acid–base, blood pressure, TC score, and P/F ratio. The dimensionality of cognitive functions was represented over cortical brain structures using a transformation matrix derived from fMRI data from the literature and the Cerebroviz mapping tool. Memory function was linearly dependent on the P/F ratio. We also used the UMAP method to reduce the dimensionality of the data and represent them in low-dimensional space. Six months after hospitalization, no cases of severe cognitive deficit persisted, and the number of moderate cognitive deficits reduced from 14% to 4%. Most cognitive domains (visuospatial abilities, executive functions, attention, working memory, spatial–temporal orientation) improved over time, except for long-term memory and language skills, which remained reduced or slightly decreased. The Cerebroviz algorithm helps to visualize which brain regions might be involved in the process. Many patients with COVID-19 continue to suffer from a subclinical cognitive deficit, particularly in the memory and language domains. Cerebroviz’s representation of the results provides a new tool for visually representing the data. Full article

Background/Objectives: Myocarditis is a recognized complication of COVID-19 infection, with potential long-term cardiac sequelae. While acute cardiac involvement has been frequently reported, late-stage myocardial effects remain less well characterized. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging, particularly T1 and T2 mapping, offers non-invasive tissue characterization for myocardial inflammation and fibrosis. This study aimed to evaluate segmental myocardial tissue changes in patients with late-stage COVID-19–related myocarditis using CMR and compare findings with patients with non-COVID-19 myocarditis and healthy controls. Methods: This retrospective, single-center study included 25 patients with clinically suspected COVID-19 myocarditis who underwent CMR between 36 and 565 days post-infection. T1 and T2 mapping values and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) patterns were assessed and compared with 14 non-COVID-19 myocarditis patients and 19 healthy controls. Subgroup analyses were performed according to vaccination status and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Results: Patients with reduced LVEF had significantly higher T1 and T2 values in several myocardial segments. Compared to controls, the COVID-19 myocarditis group showed significantly elevated T1 values in all segments except 2 and 3. No significant difference in T2 values was observed. LGE was present in 61% of COVID-19 myocarditis patients, predominantly with a subepicardial pattern. No significant differences were observed between vaccinated and unvaccinated patients. Conclusions: Late-stage COVID-19 myocarditis is associated with persistent segmental myocardial tissue abnormalities, particularly elevated T1 values and subepicardial LGE. Segmental CMR mapping may provide additional diagnostic value in identifying residual myocardial injury in patients with ongoing cardiac symptoms after COVID-19 infection. Full article

Background: The aims of this paper are to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the non-rational use of antibiotics and potential alterations in the antibiotic resistance profiles of multi-drug resistant (MDR) isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPN), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PAE), and Acinetobacter baumannii (ABA). Material and Methods: This study was conducted at the tertiary University Hospital “Dr Dragisa Misovic-Dedinje” (Belgrade, Serbia) and was divided into three periods: pre-pandemic (1.4.2019–31.3.2020, period I), COVID-19 pandemic (1.4.2020–31.3.2021, period II), and COVID-19 pandemic-second phase (1.4.2021–31.3.2022, period III). Cultures were taken from each patient with clinically suspected infection (symptoms, biochemical markers of infection). All departments of the hospital were included in this study. Based on the source, all microbiological specimens were divided into 1° blood, 2° respiratory tract (tracheal aspirate, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, throat, sputum), 3° central-line catheter, 4° urine, 5° urinary catheter, 6° skin and soft tissue, and 6° other (peritoneal fluid, drainage sample, bioptate, bile, incisions, fistulas, and abscesses). After the isolation of bacterial strains from the samples, an antibiotic sensitivity test was performed for each individual isolate with the automated Vitek^® 2 COMPACT. Antibiotic consumption testing was performed by the WHO guideline equations (ATC/DDD). Results: A total of 2196 strains of KPN, PAE, and ABA from 41,144 hospitalized patients were isolated (23.6% of the number of total isolates). The number of ABA isolates statistically increased (p = 0.021), while the number of PAE isolates statistically decreased (p = 0.003) during the pandemic. An increase in the percentage of MDR strains was observed for KPN (p = 0.028) and PAE (p = 0.027). There has been an increase in the antibiotic resistance of KPN for piperacillin–tazobactam, the third and fourth generations of cephalosporins (ceftriaxone, ceftazidime, and cefepime), all carbapanems (imipenem, meropenem, and ertapenem), and levofloxacin; of PAE for imipenem; and of ABA for amikacin. Total antibiotic consumption increased (from 755 DBD to 1300 DBD, +72%), especially in the watch and reserve group of antibiotics. The highest increases were noted for vancomycin, levofloxacin, azithromycin, and meropenem. MV positively correlated with the increased occurrence of MDR KPN (r = 0.35, p = 0.009) and MDR PAE (r = 0.43, p = 0.009) but not for MDR ABA (r = 0.09, p = 0.614). There has been a statistically significant increase in the Candida sp. isolates, but the prevalence of Clostridium difficile infection remained unchanged. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the increase in total and MDR strains of KPN, ABA, and PAE and worsened their antibiotic resistance profiles. An increase in the consumption of both total and specific antibiotics was observed, mostly of fluoroquinolones and carbapenems. A positive correlation between the number of patients on MV and an increase in MDR KPN and MDR PAE strains was noted. It is necessary to adopt and demand the implementation of appropriate antimicrobial stewardship interventions to decrease the resistance of intrahospital pathogens to antibiotics. Full article

Background: Long COVID can persist for years, but little is known about its prevalence in relation to the number of infections. This study examines the prevalence of long COVID in association with the number of infections and vaccination status. Methods: We analyzed anonymized data on long COVID cases, thrombotic events and polypharmacy from March 2020, provided by the Data Analysis Control Department for the population assigned to the CST (192,651 at March 2025). Additionally, we analyzed responses to a long COVID symptom-specific survey distributed in March 2024 to individuals aged 18 to 75 years from the CST population diagnosed with COVID-19 as of December 2023 (n = 43,398; 3227 respondents). Symptomatic patients suspected of having long COVID underwent blood tests to exclude alternative diagnoses. Results: The overall detected prevalence of long COVID was 2.4‰, with higher frequency among women aged 30–59 years (p < 0.001). The survey, combined with specific blood tests, improved detection rates by 26.3%. Long COVID prevalence was 3–10 times higher in individuals with three or more infections than in those with only one recorded infection (based on survey/CST data, respectively). The absolute number of thrombotic events among individuals aged >60 doubled from 2020 to 2024, occurring in both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, as well as in those with or without prior documented COVID-19 infection, including in patients without chronic treatments. Conclusions: We found a link between SARS-CoV-2 reinfection and long COVID, and a post-pandemic rise in thrombotic events across all populations, regardless of vaccination or prior infection. Findings support continued COVID-19 diagnosis in suspected cases and mask use by healthcare workers treating respiratory patients. Full article

Purpose: In 2020, a lockdown due to COVID-19 was ordered by the German government, resulting in population-wide restrictions. In this retrospective study, we question the extent to which health policy restrictions have influenced medical diagnoses. Methods: The incidence rates of relevant pregnancy complications during all trimesters of pregnancy were evaluated for a 6-month pre-pandemic period (April–September 2019), in comparison to the same period during the lockdown in 2020. Mothers and newborns who presented at the University Hospital St. Hedwig, Regensburg, Germany, were included in the study. The incidence rates of preeclampsia and suspected FGR (fetal growth retardation), as relevant obstetric diseases, were further compared with those in a post-pandemic period (April–September 2023). Results: A total of 5137 newborns were included, with 1709 born during the 6-month pre-pandemic period, 1806 during the 6-month lockdown period and 1687 during the 6-month post-pandemic period. During the pandemic period, significantly fewer patients were hospitalized due to hyperemesis gravidarum (1.8% vs. 0.9%, p = 0.04). No differences were observed concerning the incidence of miscarriages before and after 14 weeks of gestation (WG), preterm deliveries (<37 WG), gestational age at preterm birth and birth weight. Likewise, within the group of preterm-born babies, no difference was observed in preeclampsia among the two periods. However, in the pandemic period, the frequency of preterm-born babies with suspected FGR was significantly lower than in the pre-pandemic period (1.5% and 0.6%, p = 0.01). Regarding this point, we analyzed data of all newborns in a comparative post-pandemic period in 2023 (n = 1687). This group presented a significantly increased FGR incidence compared to that during the pandemic, therefore returning to the pre-pandemic level (1.5% and 1.4%, p = 0.145). Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were significantly fewer deliveries with suspected FGR. After all specific restrictions on elective and outpatient services were lifted, the incidence of suspected FGR returned to its initial level, suggesting that the diagnosis—as a solely machine-dependent and not symptom-based diagnosis—was partly exaggerated in both the pre-and post-pandemic periods. Full article

Background and Clinical Significance: Congenital malformations of the right atrium are rare. Their clinical presentation varies widely, from the absence of symptoms to sudden death, often being diagnosed incidentally by cardiac imaging. First described in 1955, the right atrial diverticulum is usually characterized as a pouch-like structure originating from the free atrial wall, or right atrial appendage. The prevalence of congenital malformations of the right atrium is unknown because few clinical cases have been reported. Associated complications include arrhythmias, pulmonary thromboembolism, progressive dilatation marked by a high risk of compression and rupture. In these cases, the optimal therapeutic approach is surgical resection. Case Presentation: We present the case of a 58-year-old, hypertensive female with a history of COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019), who was admitted for persistent dyspnea and chest pain. An electrocardiogram on arrival showed no arrhythmias or ischemic changes, and echocardiography revealed severe systolic dysfunction—a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of 20%, moderate mitral and tricuspid regurgitations, and a pericardial collection, adjacent to the right atrium, considered to be a localized pericardial effusion. Coronary angiography excluded ischemic etiology and a viral myocarditis was further suspected. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (IRM) showed a non-ischemic scar pattern in the interventricular septum, but also detected a well-defined large mass, which communicated with the right atrium through a 20 mm opening, suggestive of a right atrial diverticulum. Contrast echocardiography confirmed the communication between the cavity and the right atrium. A surgical resection of the large diverticulum was performed. Conclusions: The particularity of this case consists in the incidental identification of a rare cardiac malformation in an adult patient. Full article

Objective: The clinical diagnosis of respiratory tract infections (RTIs) may result in unnecessary antibiotic treatment due to clinical exams’ low sensitivity and specificity to differentiate viral from bacterial infections and costly diagnostic work-ups. Unnecessary antibiotic consumption drives antibiotic resistance. We explored whether a rapid influenza-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay reduced antibiotic use in an emergency room before the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We conducted an observational retrospective study of patients with RTI symptoms treated in the ER of the University Hospital Basel from September 2014 to June 2015. We evaluated the impact of rapid diagnostic results, such as an influenza-specific PCR, blood sample results, and radiological imaging, on antibiotic prescription rates. Patient-related confounding factors were included since a patient’s clinical condition affects doctors’ clinical decision-making. Results: We included 607 patients with RTIs, tested with PCR for influenza A or B. Logistic regression showed that the odds ratio (OR) of being treated with antibiotics was significantly reduced by more than two-thirds in patients with a positive influenza PCR result (OR = 0.37; 95% CI, 0.22–0.59; p < 0.001). Increasing C-reactive protein (CRP) levels by tenfold (OR = 5.14; 95% CI, 3.34–8.12; p < 0.001) or suspected chest infection on a radiograph (OR = 5.81; 95% CI, 3.23–10.89; p < 0.001) increased the OR of antibiotic treatment by fivefold. The highest OR for antibiotic prescription was due to increased procalcitonin level by tenfold (OR = 10.13; 95% CI, 4.79–23.4; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Our study provides real-world evidence from a pre-COVID-19 ER setting of diagnostic tools used for RTI evaluation and their impact on antibiotic prescriptions. Rapid influenza-specific PCR results may affect the prescription rate of antibiotics but should be seen as part of a comprehensive diagnostic approach to guide clinical decision-making. Full article

Scrub typhus, caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, is a neglected and reemerging disease that causes considerable morbidity and mortality. It now extends beyond the Tsutsugamushi Triangle, the region wherein it has traditionally been endemic. Influenza has also resurged since the infection control measures against COVID-19 were relaxed. A few cases of scrub typhus and influenza co-infection have been reported. Herein, we report the case of a 74-year-old woman with fever and upper respiratory symptoms diagnosed with influenza A and treated with oseltamivir; however, her fever persisted, and she developed respiratory failure, liver dysfunction, headache, diarrhea, and an erythematous skin rash. She lived in a forested area where scrub typhus was endemic and worked on a farm. Physical examination revealed an eschar on her posterior neck, and she was diagnosed with scrub typhus and influenza A co-infection. After minocycline treatment, her symptoms improved within a few days. This is the first reported case of scrub typhus and influenza A co-infection in Japan. This case illustrates that co-infection should be suspected in patients with fever persisting after their initial infection has been treated and that in patients living in endemic areas, scrub typhus can occur concurrently with influenza. The symptoms of scrub typhus are flu-like and nonspecific, which may delay diagnosis and treatment. Full article

Background/Objectives: Clinical studies show that SARS-CoV-2 vaccination sometimes entails a severe and disabling chronic syndrome termed post-acute-COVID-19-vaccination syndrome (PACVS). PACVS shares similarities with long COVID. Today, PACVS is still not officially recognised as a disease. In contrast, long COVID was registered by health authorities in December 2021. Here, we address possible reasons for that discrepancy. Methods: We analyse whether common symptoms of PACVS have been registered by European pharmacovigilance as adverse vaccination reactions and which consequences have been drawn thereof. Results: (i) PACVS is distinguished from normal vaccination reactions solely by prolonged duration. (ii) Symptom duration is poorly monitored by post-authorisation pharmacovigilance. (iii) PACVS-specific signals were faithfully recorded by pharmacovigilance systems but have not prompted appropriate reactions of health authorities. (iv) The most widely applied SARS-CoV-2 mRNA-vaccine has been modified after roll-out without renewed phase III evaluation; the modification has increased DNA contaminations suspected to extend the spectrum of adverse events. (v) Crossing of pharmacovigilance data with corresponding estimates of applied vaccine doses suggest a PACVS prevalence of 0.003% in the general population. In contrast, occupational surveillance studies suggest a PACVS prevalence of 0.9% in young and middle-aged persons. Conclusions: (a) Denial of official recognition of PACVS is unjustified. (b) PACVS seems to target preferentially young and middle-aged persons. (c) Without official disease recognition, access to public healthcare and welfare services is made difficult for PACVS-affected persons, which creates considerable socio-economic problems. (d) Without official disease recognition, development and evaluation of PACVS therapies is impaired. Full article

COVID-19-associated multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a rare autoimmune disorder characterized by a range of polymorphic manifestations, similar to but distinct from other well-known inflammatory syndromes in children. We conducted a retrospective–descriptive study in which we summarized the clinical presentation of, biomarker variations in, and complications occurring in patients diagnosed with MIS-C, admitted to the Emergency Clinical Hospital for Children “Sf. Ioan”, Galati, between July 2020 and June 2024. A total of 36 children met the MIS-C classification criteria according to the WHO-approved case definitions. A total of 41.7% (n = 15) were male and 58.3% (n = 21) were female. The median age of the study group was 4 years (IQR: 1.75–9.25 years). Surgical involvement was suspected in 16.7% (n = 6) of the patients, while 52.8% (n = 19) required intensive care. Clinically, fever was the most common symptom present in 89% (n = 32) of the cases. Gastrointestinal disorders were also common, with 50% (n = 18) presenting with inappetence, 42% (n = 15) with vomiting, and 39% (n = 14) with abdominal pain from admission, which worsened over time. Paraclinically, all patients exhibited signs of inflammation, and 86.1% (n = 31) had hydroelectrolytic and acid–base imbalances. The median hospital stay was 10 days (IQR: 7–12 days), with a stagnant clinical course in most cases. The inflammatory mechanisms in MIS-C, which can affect the secretion of antidiuretic hormone (ADH), were correlated with hydroelectrolytic disturbances and may lead to severe complications. For this reason, it is imperative to evaluate hydroelectrolytic disorders in the context of MIS-C and use diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers to develop effective therapeutic management strategies, ultimately improving the quality of life of affected children. Full article

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic affected the health of millions of people, both directly through infection and indirectly through delayed diagnosis and treatment of non-COVID-19 illnesses. The aim of this study was to check the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the diagnosis and treatment of appendicitis in children. Methods: The study was carried out at the Department of Paediatric Surgery of the Marciniak Hospital (Wrocław, Poland) and covered two periods, the pre-pandemic one (P1, 01/03/2019–29/02/2020) and the pandemic one (P2, 01/03/2020–28/02/2021). Results: The number of admissions of patients with suspected appendicitis and observation-only patients decreased during the pandemic (400/289 and 226/160, respectively). Although the number of operated children was similar during both analyzed periods (P1: 174, P2: 160), the rate of surgical interventions was significantly higher during P2 (55.4%) than during P1 (43.5%) (χ² test: p = 0.00272). The values of the variables quantifying disease progression and severity of inflammation, selected inflammation-related parameters detected by laboratory blood tests, latencies from the onset of symptoms to the admission and from the admission to the operation, and total duration of hospitalization did not differ significantly between the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. Conclusions: These results show that the COVID-19 pandemic led to more rigorous and careful triage of pediatric patients suspected of acute appendicitis that did not have a negative impact on patient outcomes. Full article

Antiviral therapy such as oseltamivir has been recommended for hospitalized children with suspected and confirmed influenza for almost 20 years. The therapy is officially authorized for newborns two weeks of age or older, however, questions about its safety and effectiveness still surround it. Our goals were to assess the epidemiological features of two consecutive seasonal influenza cases in children following the COVID-19 pandemic; to observe the clinical effectiveness and tolerability of oseltamivir in hospitalized children who were not vaccinated against influenza and had different influenza subtypes, including A(H1N1), A(H3N2), and B; and to identify specific comorbidities associated with influenza in children. We performed an observational study on 1300 children, enrolled between 1 October 2022 and 30 May 2023 and between 1 October 2023 and 4 May 2024, to the IX Pediatric Infectious Diseases Clinical Section of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases “Prof. Dr. Matei Balș”. During the 2022–2023 influenza season, 791 pediatric patients tested positive for influenza and received oseltamivir. Of these, 89% (704/791) had influenza A, with 86.4% having subtype A(H1N1) and 13.6% of cases having A(H3N2), and for influenza B, 11% (87/791) of the pediatric patients. Of the total group, 59% were male, and the median age was 2.4 years (1.02–9.28). For the 2023–2024 influenza season, 509 pediatric patients tested positive for influenza, with 56.9% being of the male gender and who were treated with oseltamivir. Of these patients, 81.6% had influenza A and 18.4% had influenza B. Treatment with neuraminidase inhibitors, specifically oseltamivir, 2 mg/kg/dose administered twice daily for 5 days, was well tolerated by the children, and we recorded no deaths. The duration of hospitalization for patients with a fever after the oseltamivir administration was significantly longer for patients with A(H1N1) infection than A(H3N2), during both seasons. We identified more complications in the 2022–2023 season and a decreasing number of influenza B for the 2023–2024 season. Among children with comorbidities, the most common were asthma, gastrointestinal diseases, and metabolic and endocrine diseases. In terms of effectiveness, oseltamivir significantly reduced the intensity of influenza symptoms, thus reducing the number of days of hospitalization (p = 0.001) as well as post-infection complications (p = 0.005) in both groups. In this study, we evaluated the clinical effectiveness of oseltamivir therapy for all influenza types/subtypes in children, and the length of hospitalization. We identified comorbidities associated with the prolonged duration of hospitalization. Influenza vaccination should be the main tool in the prevention of influenza and its complications in children, especially those with comorbidities. Full article

Background: Post COVID-19 syndrome or long COVID (LC) is a novel fluctuating condition with a protracted course in some patients. Specialist LC services have been operational in the UK since 2020 and deal with a high caseload of patients. Aims: To evaluate long-term outcomes in patients discharged from a community-based LC specialist service. Methods: A service evaluation study that included patients who were well engaged in the services [completed the standard Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) and received intervention from clinician(s)] and had been discharged for at least 3 months from the service. They consented to the study and completed standard PROMs: COVID-19 Yorkshire Rehabilitation Scale (C19-YRS), EQ-5D-5L and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) criteria for myalgia encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Results: Out of 460 patients contacted, 112 (average of 37.6 months since infection and 9.8 months post-discharge) completed the PROMs. Of these, 90.2% patients continued to experience LC symptoms and disability and had not returned to their pre-COVID-19 health status. The average EQ-5D-5L index score was 0.53 (SD 0.29), highlighting a significant disability and that LC had become a long-term condition (LTC) in the majority of patients who responded to the survey. Of these patients, 43% met the criteria for suspected ME/CFS. Conclusions: A proportion of LC patients develop persistent long COVID (PLC) consistent with a LTC and had a significant overlap with ME/CFS. Full article

Background: In the post-COVID-19 era, there is growing concern regarding its impact on cardiovascular health and the following effects on the overall quality of life of affected individuals. This research seeks to investigate cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) findings following COVID-19 and their impact on the quality of life of affected individuals. Methods: An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted in consecutive patients with persistent cardiovascular symptoms after COVID-19 who were referred to CMR due to suspected myocardial injury. In addition, patients completed a questionnaire about symptoms and the quality of life during the post-COVID-19 period. Results: In this study, 85 patients were included. The study population consisted of patients with a mean age of 42.5 ± 13.4 years, predominantly women, who made up 69.4% of the study population, while men made up 30.6%. CMR findings showed non-ischemic myocardial injury in 78.8% of patients and myocardial edema in 14.1% of patients. Late pericardial enhancement was present in 40% of patients and pericardial effusion in 51.8% of patients. Pericardial effusion (p = 0.001) was more prevalent in patients who reported more pronounced symptoms in the post-COVID-19 period compared to the acute infection phase. Predictors of lower quality of life in the post-COVID-19 period were the presence of irregular heartbeat (p = 0.039), cardiovascular problems that last longer than 12 weeks (p = 0.018), and the presence of pericardial effusion (p = 0.037). Conclusion: Acute myocarditis was observed in a minority of patients after COVID-19, while non-ischemic LGE pattern and pericardial effusion were observed in the majority. Quality of life was worse during the post-COVID-19 period in patients with CMR abnormalities, primarily in patients with pericardial effusion. Also, irregular heartbeat, cardiovascular symptoms that last longer than 12 weeks, as well as pericardial effusion were independent predictors of lower quality of life during the post-COVID-19 period. Full article