Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Cardiovascular Disease: A Vicious Circle

Abstract

Over the last two decades, we have witnessed major epidemics of severe acute respiratory infections that pose a serious threat to global health, with high morbidity and mortality rates. The more widespread and faster human mobility by modern transports, allowing quick international connections, has contributed to the fast spread of epidemics, leading, as in the case of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), to a pandemic state in a short time. The first literature data show high COVID-19 infectivity, with a marked respiratory tropism, and a mortality rate ranging between 2 and 8% in different countries, in relation to people affected different mean age and comorbidity. In fact, in COVID-19 patients a close association between mortality, age and comorbidity have been demonstrated. Pre-existing cardiovascular diseases are widely represented in these patients and are associated with a poorer prognosis. Moreover, this virus has also shown a specific tropism towards the cardiovascular system, showing itself responsible for a series of severe acute and chronic diseases. Because of the frequent association with cardiovascular diseases, it is important to keep in mind the principal pharmacological interactions between cardiovascular drugs and those commonly used for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Finally, given the complexity of these patients and their comorbidities, it seems essential to propose the establishment of a multi-specialist COVID-Team.