Cardiovascular Considerations in Treating Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) Publisher Pubmed



Dixon DL^{1, 2} ; Van Tassell BW^{1, 2} ; Vecchie A² ; Bonaventura A^{2, 3} ; Talasaz AH⁴ ; Kakavand H⁴ ; Dascenzo F⁵ ; Perciaccante A⁶ ; Castagno D⁵ ; Ammirati E⁷ ; Biondizoccai G^{8, 9} ; Stevens MP¹⁰ ; Abbate A²
Source: Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology Published:2020

Abstract

A novel betacoronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has spread rapidly across the globe since December 2019. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has a significantly higher mortality rate than seasonal influenza and has disproportionately affected older adults, especially those with cardiovascular disease and related risk factors. Adverse cardiovascular sequelae, such as myocarditis, acute myocardial infarction, and heart failure, have been reported in patients with COVID-19. No established treatment is currently available; however, several therapies, including remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, and interleukin (IL)-6 inhibitors, are being used off-label and evaluated in ongoing clinical trials. Considering these therapies are not familiar to cardiovascular clinicians managing these patients, this review describes the pharmacology of these therapies in the context of their use in patients with cardiovascular-related conditions. © 2020 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. All rights reserved.