At the heart of COVID-19

Khan, Inayat Hussain; Zahra, Syeda Anum; Zaim, Sevim; Harky, Amer

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) first presented in Wuhan, Hubei province, China in December 2019 Since then, it has rapidly spread across the world, and is now formally considered a pandemic The disease does not discriminate but increasing age and the presence of comorbidities are associated with severe form of the disease and poor outcomes Although the prevalence of COVID-19 in patients with cardiovascular disease is under-reported, there is evidence that pre-existing cardiac disease can render individuals vulnerable It is thought that COVID-19 may have both a direct and indirect effect on the cardiovascular system;however, the primary mechanism of underlying cardiovascular involvement is still uncertain Of particular interest is the role of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, which is well known for its cardiovascular effects and is also considered to be important in the pathogenesis of COVID-19 With a range of different drug candidates being suggested, effective anti-virals and vaccines are an area of on-going research While our knowledge of COVID-19 continues to rapidly expand, this review highlights recent advances in our understanding of the interaction between COVID-19 and the cardiovascular system