Scientific and pharmacological rationale for the treatment of cardiac damage caused by COVID-19.

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus responsible for the global coronavirus 2019 pandemic (COVID-19), which started in early 2020 and is still ongoing today. COVID-19 has caused more than 1 million deaths worldwide and about 50 million infected. COVID-19 not only causes lung injury, but there may also be an involvement of other organs, including the cardiovascular system. SARS-CoV-2 penetrates host cells through the angiotensin 2 conversion enzyme (ACE-2). ACE-2 is expressed in the lungs, heart, testicles, liver, gastrointestinal tract, etc. Several studies have found that a sizeable percentage of patients with severe COVID-19 also have cardiac lesions, including myocardial fibrosis, edema, and pericarditis. Pathological remodeling of the extracellular matrix caused by SARS-CoV-2 leads to fibrotic lesions of myocardial tissue. These fibrotic lesions can cause cardiac dysfunction, reducing the ejection fraction caused by the presence of stiffened myocardial matrix and leading to heart failure, or cause an alteration in electrical conductance by creating cardiac arrhythmias. These cardiac dysfunctions can be fatal if left untreated and managed. It is therefore essential to identify cardiac involvement early in order to act with appropriate treatments to preserve the integrity of the heart. In this review, we describe what is known about cardiac damage from COVID-19, including the scientific rationale for effective therapeutic solutions to combat cardiac injury, and reduce or avoid cardiac damage from COVID-19.