Title:COVID-19 Severity: Lung-Heart Interplay
Volume: 17
Issue: 4
Author(s): Gayatri Puri, Vikram P. Singh and Amarjit S. Naura*
Affiliation:
- Department of Biochemistry, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014,India
Keywords:
COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, ARDS, cardiovascular disease, respiratory failure, lung-heart interplay.
Abstract: In December 2019, a novel COVID-19 infection caused by SARS-CoV-2 has emerged
as a global emergency. In a few months, the pathogen has infected millions of people in the world.
Primarily SARS-CoV-2 infects the pulmonary system which ultimately leads to ARDS and lung
failure. The majority of patients develop milder symptoms but the infection turns severe in a huge
number of people, which ultimately results in enhanced mortality in COVID-19 patients. Co-morbid
conditions, primarily cardiovascular complications and diabetes, have been reported to show a
strong correlation with COVID-19 severity. Further, the onset of myocardial injury secondary to
pulmonary damage has been observed in critically ill patients who have never reported heart-related
ailments before. Due to drastic health risks associated with virus infection, the unprecedented
disruption in normal business throughout the world has caused economic misery. Apparently, newer
treatments are urgently needed to combat the virus particularly to reduce the severity burden.
Therefore, understanding the crosstalk between lung and heart during COVID-19 might give us better
clarity for early diagnosis followed by appropriate treatment in patients with the likelihood of
developing severe symptoms. Accordingly, the present review highlights the potential mechanisms
that may explain the crosstalk between lung and heart so that effective treatment/management
strategies can be evolved swiftly in this direction.
