Heart : official journal of the British Cardiac Society
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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has produced a significant health burden worldwide, especially in patients with cardiovascular comorbidities. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the impact of underlying cardiovascular comorbidities and acute cardiac injury on in-hospital mortality risk. ⋯ COVID-19 patients with underlying cardiovascular comorbidities, including CVD and hypertension, may face a greater risk of fatal outcomes. Acute cardiac injury may act as a marker of mortality risk. Given the unadjusted results of our meta-analysis, future research are warranted.
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We sought to explore the prevalence and immediate clinical implications of acute myocardial injury in a cohort of patients with COVID-19 in a region of China where medical resources are less stressed than in Wuhan (the epicentre of the pandemic). ⋯ Acute myocardial injury is common in patients with COVID-19 and is associated with adverse prognosis.
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Review
COVID-19 pandemic and troponin: indirect myocardial injury, myocardial inflammation or myocarditis?
The initial mechanism for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is the binding of the virus to the membrane-bound form of ACE2, which is mainly expressed in the lung. Since the heart and the vessels also express ACE2, they both could become targets of the virus. However, at present the extent and importance of this potential involvement are unknown. ⋯ At present, there are limited reports on definite diagnosis of myocarditis caused by SARS-CoV-2 in humans and limited demonstration of the virus in the myocardium. In conclusion, although the heart and the vessels are potential targets in COVID-19, there is currently limited evidence on the direct infection of the myocardium by SARS-CoV-2. Additional pathological studies and autopsy series will be very helpful to clarify the potentiality of COVID-19 to directly infect the myocardium and cause myocarditis.