Covid19 et système cardiovasculaire

The global expansion of covid19 represents a global crisis; this pandemic killed more than a million people in one year. In addition to pulmonary involvement, the virus has major implications on the cardiovascular system: pre-existing cardiovascular diseases represent a risk factor for severe infection with increased mortality, on the other hand the infection causes cardiovascular complications which worsen the prognosis. The link between the Covid19 and the cardiovascular system stems primarily from the virus's cellular entry pathway, which is provided by its binding to a membrane protein, the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) wich plays a key role in neurohumoral regulation; this protein is very present in the heart and lungs, hence the tropism of the virus which causes the dysregulation of this cellular pathway with repercussions on cardiac and respiratory function.

A controversy broke out concerning the anti-hypertensive treatments and in particular the inhibitors of the renin angiotensin aldosterone system but after evaluation of the current data there is a consensus not to withhold or change the treatments.

the increase in cardiac troponins is a factor of poor prognosis which worsens the picture.

Myocarditis is defined by myocardial inflammation, its clinical form ranges from the mild form to the severe one; the myocardial biomarkers remain an essential when the clinical suspicion rise, the prognosis is uncertain with fulminant forms which can regress; for treatment corticosteroids seem to be effective.

Another complication of the virus are thromboembolic events and the dilemma caused by the increased risk of thrombosis and thrombocytopenia induced by the use of heparin (TIH), and there is an increase in the incidence of acute coronary syndromes in patients affected by covid19.