COVID-19: the heart and other issues

Br J Cardiol. 2020 Jul 11;27(2):18. doi: 10.5837/bjc.2020.018. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

From the time that the first cases were reported from Wuhan, China on the 31st December 2019,1 our knowledge of the clinical and virological associations of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has been evolving at a rapid pace. On 18th May 2020, COVID-19 had caused over 4.82 million cases worldwide and resulted in 316,959 deaths.2 Whilst the primary focus of management for patients with COVID-19 remains close monitoring of respiratory function, there have been high levels of cardiac dysfunction in emerging cross-sectional and observational analyses, suggesting the need for heightened awareness in patients who may require cardiac input as part of a multidisciplinary approach. We review the current data on the association of COVID-19 and the heart.

Keywords: ACE2; COVID-19; Kawasaki disease; azithromycin; biomarkers; heart disease; hydroxychloroquine; remdesivir.

Grants and funding

Funding None.