Acute Cardiovascular Complications of COVID-19: A Systematic Review

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 15; no. 5; p. e38576
• Main Authors: Tolu-Akinnawo, Oluwaremilekun, Adusei Poku, Frank, Elimihele, Thomas, League, Matthew, Adkins, Caleb F, Okafor, Henry
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Cureus Inc 05.05.2023; Cureus
• Subjects: Cardiology; Cardiovascular disease; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Internal Medicine; Medical Education; Mortality; Pathophysiology; covid-19-induced arrhythmia; pericardial tamponade; acute myocardial infarct; takotsubo cardiomyopathy; thrombotic complications of covid-19; covid 19; covid-induced myocarditis; covid and heart; viral pericarditis
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.38576

Since the pandemic in 2019, coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) has continued to be linked with a variety of organ systems and complications. While it is generally considered a respiratory disease, its link with the heart is widely discussed in the literature. This article focuses on the acute cardiovascular complications of COVID-19 and the possible predictors of these complications. Our study included 97 articles (58 case reports, eight case series, 23 retrospective cohort studies, five prospective cohort studies, and three cross-sectional studies). Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain COVID-19-induced cardiovascular complications, with cytokine-induced inflammation and direct cardiac damage noted as the significant focus. Patients with underlying cardiovascular complications such as hypertension and diabetes were noted to be at increased risk of acute cardiovascular complications, as well as an increased risk of severe disease and death. Also, acute myocardial infarction and arrhythmias were two of the most common acute cardiovascular complications noted in our review. Other acute cardiovascular complications are myocarditis, takotsubo syndrome, acute thromboembolic events, and pericardial complications. This article provides an updated review of acute cardiovascular complications of COVID-19, its pathogenesis, and risk stratification and emphasizes the need for high suspicion in patients with underlying cardiovascular risk factors.