Myocardial involvement in coronavirus disease 19

Abstract

Background: In late 2019, a cohort of patients presenting with pneumonia of unclear etiology in Wuhan, China, heralded the outbreak of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19). Previous severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) beta-coronavirus infections have been associated with tachyarrhythmias and signs and symptoms of heart failure. The emergence of SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes COVID-19, has rapidly developed into a pandemic, and a large number of infected patients have been reported to have underlying cardiovascular disease. Objective: Since there are only scant published data regarding cardiovascular burden in the wake of viral epidemics, this study aimed to evaluate cardiac involvement in COVID-19. Material and methods: This prospective cohort study included 40 adult inpatients at two centers in Germany. Adult patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in accordance with World Health Organization (WHO) interim guidance were included in the study, which focused on the potential cardiac involvement of SARS-CoV‑2. It was based on laboratory parameters as well as electro- and echocardiographic values to determine the impact of SARS-CoV‑2 virus on heart tissues. Results: The conducted investigations confirmed the relationship between the presence of acute cardiac injury and COVID-19. Conclusion: Myocardial injury and impaired myocardial function due to COVID-19 are common; however, no correlation was established between cardiac laboratory or echocardiographic values and mortality. Cardiovascular monitoring upon COVID-19 infection is crucial to determine the burden of cardiac involvement.