COVID-19 coronavirus: More than just a lung disease: what it is and what we know about the link with the cardiovascular system

ABSTRACT

Infection due to SARS-CoV2 is a pandemic. It is believed that the first case occurred on 8 December 2019 in Hubei province in China, although it was later indicated that the first laboratory-confirmed case occurred on 1 December 2019 due to the presence of an outbreak of suspected pneumonia in 59 patients in a shellfish market in Wuhan. It not only caused a respiratory disease, it often compromised the cardiovascular system since it produces a myocardial lesion, myocarditis, and, less often, increased the decompensation of pre-established cardiovascular diseases. An attempt is made in this article to elucidate the cardiovascular component presented in the current literature, and to suggest some steps to follow in patients with these diseases in accordance with the current evidence.