The Effect of COVID-19 on the Heart and the Cardiovascular (CVD) System

A special issue of COVID (ISSN 2673-8112).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 13803

Special Issue Editor

Baruch Padeh Medical Center, Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan 15208, Israel
Interests: endothelial progenitor stem cell research; endothelial function and vascular biology; heart failure and preventive cardiology; stem cell transplantation for cardiovascular disease
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Compared to the general population, subjects with CVD were at risk (almost twice) to develop severe forms of COVID-19. CVD is a major predictor of poor clinical outcome even for patients who suffered mild COVID-19 desease.

What is the mechanism? What happens in the acute phase of COVID-19 infection? What causes the long term effect and damage to the myocardium of patients who recovered from COVID-19?                                                                       

Is it related to inflammation of the heart muscle, maybe it is an indirect effect through the peripheral vascular bed, or an immune response? Any genetic changes that may have occured post-infection in the myocardium?

Maybe the heart damage is secondary the general cytokine storm?

The hypercoagulable state may also affect small vessels, and may cause an unknown pathophysiological scenario leading to myocardial damage secondary to occlusion of the vasa vasorum and the resistance vessels?

This issue will focus on the the different possible effects and mechanistic pathways of COVID-19 on the myocardium, the coronary blood vessels, and the peripheral circulation. We will discuss basic science studies as well as clinical trials – all will focus on the heart and the CV system during the acute and the chronic phase of COVID-19 infection.

Dr. Arnon Blum
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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4 pages, 572 KiB  
Communication
Quantifying the Impact of COVID-19 “Lockdown” on Physical Activity in Children and Adults with Implanted Cardiac Rhythm Devices: A Single Center Experience Using Cardiac Rhythm Device Accelerometer Data
by Rebecca Fisher, David Jevotovsky, Jessica Raviv and Barry Love
COVID 2022, 2(9), 1228-1231; https://doi.org/10.3390/covid2090089 - 31 Aug 2022
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Abstract
Background: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the US states of New York and New Jersey instituted a “lockdown” that closed schools and most businesses except for essential services. The public was urged to remain at home. The 78-day lockdown period extended from [...] Read more.
Background: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the US states of New York and New Jersey instituted a “lockdown” that closed schools and most businesses except for essential services. The public was urged to remain at home. The 78-day lockdown period extended from 22 March 2020 to 6 June 2020. We sought to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on continuously recorded physical activity in our patients with congenital heart disease with implanted cardiac rhythm management (CRM) devices—pacemakers (PPM), defibrillators (ICD) and implantable loop recorders (ILR) enabled with accelerometers that translate motion into a measure of active hours/day. Methods: All patients from our congenital CRM database with accelerometer-enabled devices who had stable cardiac status residing in NY and NJ were included. Forty-one patients met the inclusion criteria; the median age was 29.6 years (range 7–60); 54% female; 23 ICD, 15 PPM and 3 ILR. The patient activity was averaged for the 2 months prior to lockdown, during the lockdown, and the 2 months afterward. Paired t-tests were used to compare activity before and during lockdown, and before and after lockdown. Each patient served as his/her own control. Results: Active hours/day decreased by a mean of 32% (±27%) from baseline (p < 0.001). A total of 32 patients experienced a decline, 6 had no change and 3 had an increase. Active hours rebounded after lockdown and were unchanged compared to pre-lockdown levels. Conclusions: The COVID-19 lockdown in NY/NJ during the Spring of 2020 resulted in a significant drop in active hours/day in children and adults with congenital heart disease. Active hours/day rebounded to baseline after restrictions were lifted. Full article
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21 pages, 2923 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Maternal SARS-CoV-2 Infection Next to Pre-Immunization with Gam-COVID-Vac (Sputnik V) Vaccine on the 1-Day-Neonate’s Blood Plasma Small Non-Coding RNA Profile: A Pilot Study
by Angelika V. Timofeeva, Ivan S. Fedorov, Vitaliy V. Chagovets, Victor V. Zubkov, Mziya I. Makieva, Anna B. Sugak, Vladimir E. Frankevich and Gennadiy T. Sukhikh
COVID 2022, 2(7), 837-857; https://doi.org/10.3390/covid2070061 - 24 Jun 2022
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Abstract
The antenatal and postnatal effects of maternal SARS-CoV-2 on the fetus outcomes, especially in the case of maternal pre-vaccination against this infection, are still under investigation. Such effects may be due to placental insufficiency caused by maternal hypoxia and inflammatory response associated with [...] Read more.
The antenatal and postnatal effects of maternal SARS-CoV-2 on the fetus outcomes, especially in the case of maternal pre-vaccination against this infection, are still under investigation. Such effects may be due to placental insufficiency caused by maternal hypoxia and inflammatory response associated with SARS-CoV-2, and/or be a direct cytopathic effect of the virus. In this work, we studied the profile of small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) in the blood plasma of a newborn from a mother who had SARS-CoV-2 at the 22nd week of gestation after immunization with Gam-COVID-Vac (Sputnik V). The fetus had ultrasound signs of hypertrophy of the right heart and hydropericardium 4 weeks after infection of the mother with SARS-CoV-2, as well as cysts of the cerebral vascular plexuses by the time of birth. Taking this into account, we compared the sncRNA profile of this newborn on the first postpartum day with that of neonates born to COVID-19-negative women with different perinatal outcomes: severe cardiovascular and/or neurological disorders, or absence of any perinatal complications. According to next-generation sequencing data, we found that the fetus born to a COVID-19-affected mother pre-immunized with Gam-COVID-Vac (Sputnik V) vaccine differs from newborns with severe cardiovascular and/or nervous system abnormalities either in multidirectional changes in circulating sncRNAs or in less pronounced unidirectional changes in the level of sncRNAs relative to control samples. Considering this, it can be concluded that maternal vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 before pregnancy has a protective effect in preventing antenatal development of pathological processes in the cardiovascular and nervous systems of the neonate associated with COVID-19. Full article
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Review

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19 pages, 1149 KiB  
Review
Effect of Community and Socio-Economic Factors on Cardiovascular, Cancer and Cardio-Oncology Patients with COVID-19
by Akshee Batra, Justin Swaby, Priyanka Raval, Haidong Zhu, Neal Lee Weintraub, Martha Terris, Nagla Abdel Karim, Amany Keruakous, David Gutterman, Kirsten Beyer, Melinda Stolley, Sherry-Ann Brown and Avirup Guha
COVID 2022, 2(3), 350-368; https://doi.org/10.3390/covid2030024 - 11 Mar 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4007
Abstract
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a world-wide health crisis on a scale that has not been witnessed in modern times. Socio-economic (SE) factors impact every facet of human existence, including lifestyle, which significantly affects health-related quality of life. This article compiles major [...] Read more.
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a world-wide health crisis on a scale that has not been witnessed in modern times. Socio-economic (SE) factors impact every facet of human existence, including lifestyle, which significantly affects health-related quality of life. This article compiles major studies and discusses health disparities based on SE and community status in cardiovascular and cancer patients with a special focus on cardio-oncology in the context of COVID-19. Full article
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Other

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22 pages, 2678 KiB  
Systematic Review
A Scoping Review on COVID-19-Induced Cardiovascular Complications
by Ian Osoro, Manisha Vohra, Mohammad Amir, Puneet Kumar and Amit Sharma
COVID 2023, 3(3), 348-369; https://doi.org/10.3390/covid3030026 - 03 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1946
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a type of human coronavirus that resulted in the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Although it was generally categorized as a respiratory disease, its involvement in cardiovascular complications was identified from the onset. Elevated cardiac troponin [...] Read more.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a type of human coronavirus that resulted in the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Although it was generally categorized as a respiratory disease, its involvement in cardiovascular complications was identified from the onset. Elevated cardiac troponin levels (a myocardial injury marker) and echocardiograms, which showed the anomalous performance of the patients’ hearts, were noted in the early case reports obtained from Wuhan, China. A couple of mechanisms have been proposed to explain COVID-19-induced cardiovascular complications, with systemic inflammation being the major focus recently. Chest pain and palpitations are among the prevalent symptoms in moderate to severe COVID-19-recovering patients. Cardiac damage potentially occurs due to multifactorial factors, which include cytokine-induced inflammation, direct cardiotoxicity, and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), among others. The cardiovascular manifestations include cardiac arrhythmia, cardiogenic shock, venous thromboembolism, and elevated cardiac biomarkers. Both the long- and short-term effects of these cardiovascular complications remain puzzling to researchers, as substantial evidence is yet to be gathered to reach a consensus on the severity of COVID-19 in the heart. The treatment considerations currently include antiarrhythmic management, ACEI or ARB use, anticoagulation, hemodynamic support, and immunosuppression. This review aimed to outline the pathogenesis of the various cardiac complications due to COVID-19 as well as the available treatment modalities of COVID-19 infection. Both the mechanisms and the treatments have been succinctly explained in a proper manner to ensure understanding. Full article
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10 pages, 526 KiB  
Systematic Review
COVID-19 Outcomes in Patients Hospitalised with Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI): A Protocol for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
by Peter Shaw, Nagendra Boopathy Senguttuvan, Greg Raymond, Srivarshini Sankar, Anirban Goutam Mukherjee, Milind Kunale, Gothandam Kodiveri Muthukaliannan, Siddhartha Baxi, Ravishankar Ram Mani, Mogana Rajagopal, Suja Samiappan, Sunil Krishnan and Rama Jayaraj
COVID 2022, 2(2), 138-147; https://doi.org/10.3390/covid2020010 - 24 Jan 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2617
Abstract
Background: Patients with cardiovascular disease and risk factors for cardiovascular illness are more likely to acquire severe 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infection (COVID-19). COVID-19 infection is more common in patients with cardiovascular illness, and they are more likely to develop severe symptoms. Nevertheless, [...] Read more.
Background: Patients with cardiovascular disease and risk factors for cardiovascular illness are more likely to acquire severe 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infection (COVID-19). COVID-19 infection is more common in patients with cardiovascular illness, and they are more likely to develop severe symptoms. Nevertheless, whether COVID-19 patients are more likely to develop cardiovascular disorders such as acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is still up for debate. Methods: We will follow the preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis (PRISMA) to report our final study, including a systematic search of the bibliographic database using the appropriate combination of search terms or keywords. The choice of search terms is discussed in more detail later in this paper. The obtained results will be screened, and the data extracted from the studies selected for systematic review will be based on the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Using the obtained data, we will then perform the associated Meta-analysis to generate the forest plot (pooled estimated effect size Hazard Ratio (HR) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) values) using the random-effects model. Any publication bias will be assessed using the funnel plot symmetry, Orwin and Classic Fail-Safe N Test and Begg and Mazumdar Rank Correlation Test and Egger’s Test of the intercept. In cases where insufficient data occur, we will also perform a qualitative review. Discussion: This systematic review will explore COVID-19 clinical outcomes, especially survival in patients hospitalised with Acute Myocardial Infarction, by utilising a collection of previously published data on hospitalised COVID-19 patients and Myocardial Infarction. Highlighting these prognostic survival analyses of COVID-19 patients with AMI will have significant clinical implications by allowing for better overall treatment strategies and patient survival estimates by offering clinicians a method of quantitatively analysing the pattern of COVID-19 cardiac complications. Full article
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