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SARS-CoV-2 infection can also manifest as cardiovascular damage, which can be fatal, Moroccan researchers have warned. In a study developed by the intensive care and cardiology departments of the Mohammed VI University Hospital as well as the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of the Mohammed I University, eight researchers looked at cardiovascular involvement during Covid-19 infection.
Entitled «Cardiovascular injuries during COVID-19 infection: A PROCESS-compliant case series from the Eastern Morocco», the study describe the cardiovascular manifestations of 84 patients with Covid-19 infection among 610 cases admitted to the intensive care unit of the University Hospital of Oujda.
«Among the 610 confirmed patients with Covid-19 pneumonia admitted to our department, 84 were included in our study from March 1st to December 31st, 2020», the researchers explained.
Cardiovascular involvement during Covid-19 should not be neglected
The study finds that 50 patients among this group had a pulmonary embolism (59.52%), 12 patients had a myocardial infraction (14.28%), 10 presented pericarditis (11.9%) and 3 developed myocarditis (3.57%). 6 other cases developed ischemia (7.14%), 2 cases had a stroke (2.38%) and 1 case had decompensated heart failure (1.19%).
«Among our patients, 46.42% had diabetes, 32.14% had a high blood pressure, 13.09% had a chronic renal failure and 14.28% had a history of ischemic heart disease», the researchers wrote. «Among the 84 patients included in our cohort, 34 (40.47%) died in intensive care unit and 50 (59.52%) had a favorable evolution», they added.
In their analysis, the Moroccan researchers explain that «all these data further suggest that SARS-CoV-2 may have a role of direct invasion and damage to the myocardium».
They add that the lesions can also be explained by a severe systemic inflammatory response (cytokine storm) of the body to immune mediation. Current data also suggests that patients with previous or underlying cardiovascular disease are likely to have heart damage during their Covid-19 infection.
The researchers recall that «COVID-19 infection is a disease in which pulmonary symptoms are prominent. However, it can manifest with extra-pulmonary involvement, especially cardiovascular injuries which can sometimes be fatal, such as the acute coronary syndrome, myocarditis, pericarditis, pulmonary embolism and ischemic stroke».
For the team of researchers, «awareness of these various conditions is essential for the rapid and adequate management of patients at risk».
