The Impact of COVID-19 on the Cardiovascular System

Abstract

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) induces coronavirus-19 disease , has affected many people in Brazil and worldwide. This disease predominantly affects the organs of the respiratory system, but it also damages the brain, liver, kidneys and especially the heart. In the heart, scientific evidence shows that this virus can damage the coronary arteries, generating microvascular dysfunction, favoring acute myocardial infarction. Furthermore, with the increased expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, it can lead to myocarditis and cardiac fibrosis, inducing changes in the electrical conduction system of the heart, generating cardiac arrhythmias.All these factors mentioned are protagonists in promoting the increase in the mortality outcome. This outcome may be even higher if the individuals are elderly, or if they have other diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus or hypertension, because they may already have cardiomyopathy. In this context, this review focused on the impact that COVID-19 can have on the heart and cardiovascular system and the association of this impact with aging, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiac arrhythmias and arterial hypertension

Editorial: Clinical Cases in Cardiovascular Medicine: 2021

“…Immuno-inflammatory mechanisms may play a relevant pathogenic role in some cardiac diseases, contributing to development of coronary artery disease ( 3 ) and cardiac arrhythmias, modulating both atrial ( 4 , 5 ) and ventricular substrates ( 6 ). The role of inflammatory cytokines has recently become more clear with COVID-19, a systemic inflammatory disease, that can cause myocardial injury ( 7 , 8 ), with an unexpectedly high prevalence of arrhythmic events ( 9 ).…”