Pediatr Infect Dis J . Impaired Treg Response and Subclinical Cardiac Dysfunction in Children Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection

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Pediatr Infect Dis J


. 2026 Feb 26.
doi: 10.1097/INF.0000000000005192. Online ahead of print.
Impaired Treg Response and Subclinical Cardiac Dysfunction in Children Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Costanza Di Chiara ^{1 2 3} , Anna Cantarutti ⁴ , Jolanda Sabatino ⁵ , Domenico Sirico ¹ , Francesco Bonfante ⁶ , Marthe Le Prevost ^{2 7} , Danilo Buonsenso ^{8 9} , Emma Concetta Manno ¹⁰ , Francesco Carmona ¹¹ , Daniele Donà ^{1 2} , Anita De Rossi ¹² , Giovanni Di Salvo ¹ , Maria Raffaella Petrara ¹¹ , Carlo Giaquinto ^{1 2}


Affiliations

• PMID: 41742349
• DOI: 10.1097/INF.0000000000005192

Abstract

In a preliminary cohort of children recovering from asymptomatic or mild coronavirus disease 2019, subclinical cardiac contractility alterations were associated with reduced regulatory T cells, shorter telomeres and elevated inflammatory markers 3 months post-infection. These findings suggest that immune dysregulation may contribute to silent post-coronavirus disease 2019 cardiac dysfunction and warrant confirmation in larger cohorts with long-term follow-up.

Keywords: cardiac contractility alterations; children; immune profile; post-COVID; speckle-tracking echocardiography.