The Myocardial and Neuronal Infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 and Detrimental Outcomes

Herbert, Ernest; Fournier, Dominique; Al-Shaqha, Waleed A; Chahine, Mohamed

The epidemiological outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), alias COVID-19, began in Wuhan, Hubei, China, in late December and eventually turned into a pandemic that has led to 3.71+ million deaths and 173+ million infected cases worldwide. In addition to respiratory manifestations, COVID-19 patients with neurological and myocardial dysfunctions exhibit a higher risk of in-hospital mortality. The immune function tends to be affected by cardiovascular risk factors and is thus indirectly related to the prognosis of COVID-19 patients. Many neurological symptoms and manifestations have been reported in COVID-19 patients. However, detailed descriptions of the prevalence and characteristic features of these symptoms are restricted due to insufficient data. It is thus advisable for clinicians to be vigilant for both cardiovascular and neurological manifestations in order to detect them at an early stage to avoid inappropriate management of COVID-19 and to address the manifestations adequately. Patients with severe COVID-19 are notably more susceptible to developing cardiovascular and neurological complications than non-severe COVID-19 patients. This review focuses on the consequential outcomes of COVID-19 on cardiovascular and neuronal functions, including other influencing factors.