scholarly journals The Interplay Between COVID-19 and Cardiovascular Disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon Shokoples ◽  
Nathanne S. Ferreira ◽  
Kevin Comeau

Introduction: The emergence of the global COVID-19 pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has created a substantial burden on healthcare systems worldwide. The systemic impacts of COVID-19 infection are severe and broad in their implications, and the cardiovascular system is no exception. Discussion: Patients with a history of cardiovascular disease are at an increased risk for hospitalization and mortality, and COVID-19 infection has now been demonstrated to initiate acute, but serious, episodes of cardiovascular events such as stroke. Considering the rapid spread of COVID-19 across the globe and the inability of healthcare systems to address and adequately respond to the pandemic, therein lies an increased need for understanding the interplay between COVID-19 infection and cardiovascular disease. SARS-CoV-2 relies on binding the angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) receptor to infect host cells, with ACE2 representing a critical regulator of blood pressure homeostasis and proper cardiovascular functioning. Conclusion: Identifying the exact role of ACE2 in COVID-19 infection will have major implications for understanding the disease; therefore, here we have reviewed ACE2’s involvement in the pathogenesis of COVID-19 infection and the resulting end-organ damage. In addition, we have summarized how COVID-19 affects cardiovascular physiology, and how COVID-19 infection can manifest in acute cardiovascular events. Finally, we examine why patients with cardiovascular disease are at an increased risk of succumbing to COVID-19 and what the long-term cardiovascular implications of COVID-19 infection could mean. Relevance: This paper discusses the cardiovascular consequences of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ha Young Jang ◽  
Jae Hyun Kim ◽  
Yun-Kyoung Song ◽  
Ju-Young Shin ◽  
Hae-Young Lee ◽  
...  

Aims: Conflicting data exist on whether an association exists between antidepressants and the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in patients with depression. This may be due to the use of various study designs and residual or unmeasured confounding. We aimed to assess the association between antidepressant use and the risk of MACEs while considering various covariates, including severity of depression and the cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk score.Methods: Patients newly diagnosed with depression with no history of ischemic heart disease and stroke were followed-up from 2009 to 2015. We conducted Cox proportional hazard regression analysis to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for each antidepressant for MACE risk.Result: We followed-up (median, 4.4 years) 31,830 matched patients with depression (15,915 antidepressant users and 15,915 non-users). In most patients (98.7%), low-dose tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) were related with a significantly increased risk of MACEs [adjusted HR = 1.20, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.03–1.40]. Duration response relationship showed a gradually increasing HR from 1.15 (95% CI = 0.98–1.33; <30 days of use) to 1.84 (95% CI = 1.35–2.51; ≥365 days of use) (p for trend <0.01). High Korean atherosclerotic CVD risk score (≥7.5%) or unfavorable lifestyle factors (smoking, alcohol intake, and exercise) were significantly associated with MACEs.Conclusion: Even at low doses, TCA use was associated with MACEs during primary prevention. Longer duration of TCA use correlated with higher HR. Careful monitoring is needed with TCA use in patients with no known CVD history.


2020 ◽  
Vol 134 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenny Schlosser ◽  
Amanpreet Kaur ◽  
Natalie Dayan ◽  
Duncan J. Stewart ◽  
Louise Pilote ◽  
...  

Abstract Women with a history of preeclampsia (PE) have increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) later in life. However, the molecular determinants underlying this risk remain unclear. We sought to understand how circulating miRNA levels are affected by prior PE, and related to biological pathways underpinning cardiovascular disease. RNA sequencing was used to profile plasma levels of 2578 miRNAs in a retrospective study of women with a history of PE or normotensive pregnancy, in two independent cohorts with either acute coronary syndrome (ACS) (n = 17–18/group) or no ACS (n = 20/group). Differential miRNA alterations were assessed in relation to a history of PE (within each cohort) or ACS (across cohorts), and compared with miRNAs previously reported to be altered during PE. A history of PE was associated with altered levels of 30 and 20 miRNAs in the ACS and non-ACS cohorts, respectively, whereas ACS exposure was associated with alterations in 259 miRNAs. MiR-206 was identified at the intersection of all comparisons relating to past/current PE and ACS exposure, and has previously been implicated in atherogenic activities related to hepatocytes, vascular smooth muscle cells and macrophages. Integration of all differentially altered miRNAs with their predicted and experimentally validated targets in silico revealed a number of highly targeted genes with potential atherogenic functions (including NFAT5, CCND2 and SMAD2), and one significantly enriched KEGG biological pathway (Wnt signaling) that was shared between all exposure groups. The present study provides novel insights into miRNAs, target genes and biological pathways that may underlie the long-term cardiovascular sequelae of PE.


Blood ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 118 (21) ◽  
pp. 330-330
Author(s):  
Saro H. Armenian ◽  
Can-Lan Sun ◽  
Tabitha Shannon ◽  
Emily Blum ◽  
Liton Francisco ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 330 Introduction: Advances in transplantation strategies and supportive care have resulted in a growing number of long-term HCT survivors. In the general U.S. population, cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, and cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs), including diabetes hypertension and dyslipidemia are well-established modifiers of the risk. There is increasing evidence that HCT survivors may be at risk for CVRFs that can potentially result in an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity. However, there is a paucity of knowledge regarding the magnitude of risk and associated risk factors for CVRFs after HCT, and the role these CVRFs play in the subsequent development of cardiovascular disease such as stroke, myocardial infarction, and congestive heart failure, in long-term survivors of HCT. Methods: A retrospective cohort study design was used to describe the cumulative incidence of CVRFs and cardiovascular disease in 1+year survivors of HCT, taking into consideration the competing risk of death. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to calculate relative risk (RR) estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CI), adjusted for relevant covariates. Definition of CVRFs was per the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Survivors taking immunosuppressant medication for management of graft vs. host disease (GvHD) at the time of CVRF diagnosis were excluded from the regression analysis. Cardiovascular disease was defined per the American College of Cardiology established case definitions. Results: 2041 consecutive one-year survivors who underwent HCT for hematologic malignancies between 1995 and 2004 at City of Hope were included in the analysis. Median age at HCT was 44.1 years (0.6–78.9); 57.6% were female; 62.5% were non-Hispanic white and 24.5% were Hispanic; 41% underwent allogeneic HCT; 26.5% of allogeneic HCT survivors had a history of chronic GvHD; 49.9% received total body irradiation (TBI). Cardiovascular risk factors: After 12,551 person-years of follow-up, the 10-year cumulative incidence of diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia was 16.8%, 36.1% and 43.5%, respectively; 10-year cumulative incidence for multiple (2+) CVRFs was 29.5%. The cumulative incidence of CVRFs was significantly higher for allogeneic HCT recipients (Table). Multivariate analysis adjusted for gender, race/ethnicity, diagnosis, and conditioning-related exposures, revealed older age at HCT and obesity to be risk factors for all three CVRFs. Allogeneic HCT survivors with a history of chronic GvHD were at highest risk for diabetes (RR=32.4, 95% CI: 16.6–63.2, p<0.01), hypertension (RR=12.0, 95% CI: 5.5–26.1, p<0.01), and dyslipidemia (RR=7.2, 95% CI: 4.2–12.3, p<0.01) when compared to autologous HCT recipients. Cardiovascular disease occurred in 117 individuals, at a median 3.8 years following HCT (range 0.1–13.9). The 10-year cumulative incidence of cardiovascular disease was 7.4%, and was highest among survivors with multiple CVRFs (10.9% vs. 5.9% in those with <2 CVRFs, p=0.02). Furthermore, survivors with multiple CVRFs were at 1.8-fold risk (95% CI: 1.1–3.3, p=0.04) of subsequently developing cardiovascular disease when compared to survivors with <2 CVRFs. Conclusions: Allogeneic HCT survivors are at a substantially increased risk for CVRFs following HCT, and chronic GvHD and/or its treatment are critical modifiers of this risk. Survivors with multiple CVRFs are at highest risk for development of cardiovascular disease following HCT. These findings provide rationale for close monitoring and aggressive interventions for this high-risk population in order to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


2013 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stacy L. Haber ◽  
Virginia Boomershine ◽  
Erin Raney

Smoking cessation lowers the risk of death substantially in patients with cardiovascular disease. Although varenicline is an effective medication for smoking cessation, its safety in this population has been questioned and evaluated in several studies. In 2 randomized controlled trials of patients with cardiovascular disease, the rates of serious cardiovascular events were up to 2% higher in patients receiving varenicline than placebo, though the differences were not statistically significant. In the first meta-analysis of mostly trials involving patients with a history of cardiovascular disease, varenicline was found to significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular events by 72%; however, a second meta-analysis did not find a significant increased risk. In an observational study, varenicline was not associated with an increased risk of events when compared to bupropion in a subgroup analysis of patients with a history of cardiovascular disease. Because the evidence on the safety of varenicline in this population is limited and conflicting, additional data are needed to formulate stronger conclusions. In the meantime, health care professionals should consider individual smoking patterns, concomitant medical conditions, and cost when recommending smoking cessation pharmacotherapy for patients with cardiovascular disease.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (43) ◽  
pp. 5564-5572
Author(s):  
Eleni Kousta ◽  
Adamantia Kontogeorgi ◽  
Stephen Robinson ◽  
Desmond G. Johnston

Gestational diabetes mellitus is a common metabolic complication of pregnancy. Universal guidelines on gestational diabetes have been impeded by the long-term controversies on its definition and screening strategies. The prevalence of gestational diabetes is rising all over the world, is significantly influenced by ethnicity and its rise is mainly attributed to increasing maternal obesity and age. Gestational diabetes mellitus has important long-term implications, including gestational diabetes recurrence, increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease for the mother. Gestational diabetes mellitus may be viewed as a chronic metabolic disorder that is identified in women during gestation and may provide a unique opportunity for the early identification and primary prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease in these women. In this mini-review, the evolution of screening tests for gestational diabetes and guidelines are briefly described and metabolic and cardiovascular long-term consequences of women with a history of gestational diabetes are summarized. A summary of our own St. Mary’s Hospital-UK Research series on long-term metabolic consequences of 368 women with a history of gestational diabetes of 3 different ethnic groups and 482 control women is also included. We found that approximately 2 years following delivery, 37% of women with a history of gestational diabetes had abnormal glucose concentrations, but, most importantly, even those who were normoglycaemic, postpartum displayed metabolic abnormalities on detailed testing. Future research needs to focus on the prevention of gestational diabetes long-term complications, but also in identification of pre-pregnancy predictors and risk reduction before conception.


Author(s):  
Molly M. Shores ◽  
Thomas J. Walsh ◽  
Anna Korpak ◽  
Chloe Krakauer ◽  
Christopher W. Forsberg ◽  
...  

Background Testosterone treatment is common in men, although risks for major cardiovascular events are unclear. Methods and Results A study was conducted in US male veterans, aged ≥40 years, with low serum testosterone and multiple medical comorbidities and without history of myocardial infarction, stroke, venous thromboembolism, prostate cancer, or testosterone treatment in the prior year. For the primary outcome, we examined if testosterone treatment was associated with a composite cardiovascular outcome (incident myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, or venous thromboembolism). Testosterone use was modeled as intramuscular or transdermal and as current use, former use, and no use. Current testosterone users were compared with former users to reduce confounding by indication. The cohort consisted of 204 857 men with a mean (SD) age of 60.9 (9.9) years and 4.7 (3.5) chronic medical conditions. During follow‐up of 4.3 (2.8) years, 12 645 composite cardiovascular events occurred. In adjusted Cox regression analyses, current use of transdermal testosterone was not associated with risk for the composite cardiovascular outcome (hazard ratio [HR], 0.89; 95% CI, 0.76–1.05) in those without prevalent cardiovascular disease, and in those with prevalent cardiovascular disease was associated with lower risk (HR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.70–0.91). In similar analyses, current use of intramuscular testosterone was not associated with risk for the composite cardiovascular outcome in men without or with prevalent cardiovascular disease (HR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.80–1.04; HR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.89–1.09, respectively). Conclusions In a large cohort of men without a history of myocardial infarction, stroke, or venous thromboembolism, testosterone treatment was not associated with increased risk for incident composite cardiovascular events.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (35) ◽  
pp. 4507-4517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauro Rigato ◽  
Gian Paolo Fadini

Background: Circulating progenitor cells (CPCs) and endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are immature cells involved in vascular repair and related to many aspects of macro and microvascular disease. <p> Objective: We aimed to review studies reporting the prognostic role of CPCs/EPCs measurement on development of cardiovascular disease and microangiopathy. <p> Methods and Results: We reviewed the English language literature for prospective observational studies reporting the future development of cardiovascular disease or microangiopathy in patients having a baseline determination of CPCs/EPCs. We retrieved 34 studied reporting on cardiovascular outcomes and 2 studies reporting on microvascular outcomes. Overall, a reduced baseline level of CPCs/EPCs was associated with a significant increased risk of cardiovascular events, all-cause death, and onset/progression of microangiopathy. The most predictive phenotypes were CD34+ and CD34+CD133+. The main limitation was related to the high heterogeneity among studies in terms of patient characteristics and cell phenotypes. <p> Conclusion: The present review shows that a reduced level of circulating progenitor cells is a risk factor for the development of future cardiovascular events and death. In addition, low CPCs/EPCs levels predict the onset or worsening of microalbuminuria and retinopathy in diabetic patients.


Author(s):  
Rutao Wang ◽  
Scot Garg ◽  
Chao Gao ◽  
Hideyuki Kawashima ◽  
Masafumi Ono ◽  
...  

Abstract Aims To investigate the impact of established cardiovascular disease (CVD) on 10-year all-cause death following coronary revascularization in patients with complex coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods The SYNTAXES study assessed vital status out to 10 years of patients with complex CAD enrolled in the SYNTAX trial. The relative efficacy of PCI versus CABG in terms of 10-year all-cause death was assessed according to co-existing CVD. Results Established CVD status was recorded in 1771 (98.3%) patients, of whom 827 (46.7%) had established CVD. Compared to those without CVD, patients with CVD had a significantly higher risk of 10-year all-cause death (31.4% vs. 21.7%; adjusted HR: 1.40; 95% CI 1.08–1.80, p = 0.010). In patients with CVD, PCI had a non-significant numerically higher risk of 10-year all-cause death compared with CABG (35.9% vs. 27.2%; adjusted HR: 1.14; 95% CI 0.83–1.58, p = 0.412). The relative treatment effects of PCI versus CABG on 10-year all-cause death in patients with complex CAD were similar irrespective of the presence of CVD (p-interaction = 0.986). Only those patients with CVD in ≥ 2 territories had a higher risk of 10-year all-cause death (adjusted HR: 2.99, 95% CI 2.11–4.23, p < 0.001) compared to those without CVD. Conclusions The presence of CVD involving more than one territory was associated with a significantly increased risk of 10-year all-cause death, which was non-significantly higher in complex CAD patients treated with PCI compared with CABG. Acceptable long-term outcomes were observed, suggesting that patients with established CVD should not be precluded from undergoing invasive angiography or revascularization. Trial registration SYNTAX: ClinicalTrials.gov reference: NCT00114972. SYNTAX Extended Survival: ClinicalTrials.gov reference: NCT03417050. Graphic abstract


Author(s):  
Shinwan Kany ◽  
Johannes Brachmann ◽  
Thorsten Lewalter ◽  
Ibrahim Akin ◽  
Horst Sievert ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Non-paroxysmal (NPAF) forms of atrial fibrillation (AF) have been reported to be associated with an increased risk for systemic embolism or death. Methods Comparison of procedural details and long-term outcomes in patients (pts) with paroxysmal AF (PAF) against controls with NPAF in the prospective, multicentre observational registry of patients undergoing LAAC (LAARGE). Results A total of 638 pts (PAF 274 pts, NPAF 364 pts) were enrolled. In both groups, a history of PVI was rare (4.0% vs 1.6%, p = 0.066). The total CHA2DS2-VASc score was lower in the PAF group (4.4 ± 1.5 vs 4.6 ± 1.5, p = 0.033), while HAS-BLED score (3.8 ± 1.1 vs 3.9 ± 1.1, p = 0.40) was comparable. The rate of successful implantation was equally high (97.4% vs 97.8%, p = 0.77). In the three-month echo follow-up, LA thrombi (2.1% vs 7.3%, p = 0.12) and peridevice leak > 5 mm (0.0% vs 7.1%, p = 0.53) were numerically higher in the NPAF group. Overall, in-hospital complications occurred in 15.0% of the PAF cohort and 10.7% of the NPAF cohort (p = 0.12). In the one-year follow-up, unadjusted mortality (8.4% vs 14.0%, p = 0.039) and combined outcome of death, stroke and systemic embolism (8.8% vs 15.1%, p = 0.022) were significantly higher in the NPAF cohort. After adjusting for CHA2DS2-VASc and previous bleeding, NPAF was associated with increased death/stroke/systemic embolism (HR 1.67, 95% CI 1.02–2.72, p = 0.041). Conclusion Atrial fibrillation type did not impair periprocedural safety or in-hospital MACE patients undergoing LAAC. However, after one year, NPAF was associated with higher mortality. Graphic abstract


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