Cardiac Manifestations in Patients with COVID-19

In late December 2019, outbreak of the viral pneumonia in the China, Wuhan city (Hubei Province) was reported which was caused by the virus called SARS-COV2. COVID-19 spread rapidly worldwide and has become a global pandemic affecting >200 countries and territories, with an unprecedented effect not only on public health, but also social and economic activities. The infection spread out from the local seafood market where various types of animals like bats were sold -the possible reservoir of the COVID 19. The lungs are the most affected organ by COVID-19, the involvement of other organs, particularly the heart, is highly prevalent as has been reported in study Zheng YY et al. on COVID-19 and the cardiovascular system. Cardiac injury is frequently observed in hospitalized patients with moderate or severe illness with COVID-19, it is mainly among those with underlying, pre-existing cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular comorbidities such as hypertension and coronary artery disease are associated with high mortality in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In an early report from Wuhan involving 41 patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19 by 2 January 2020, the prevalence of any comorbidity was 32% and the most common underlying diseases were diabetes (20%), hypertension (15%) and other CVDs (15%). Medications that have been proposed as treatments for COVID-19 such as hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin have pro-arrhythmic effects like atrial fibrillation, ventricular fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia.