Association of Zika Virus with Myocarditis, Heart Failure, and Arrhythmias: A Literature Review

Abstract

As the concerns regarding Zika virus (ZIKV) are mostly of neurological disorders, especially in neonates and infants, other possible threats of the virus may have been overlooked. Our study focuses on the potential threat that ZIKV may pose to the heart like that of similar arboviral diseases. We conducted a literature search of multiple terms in March 2017 using the search engines, PubMed, Embase, and SCOPUS. Articles were then reviewed by two independent reviewers, adhering strictly to our review criteria. No discriminations were made whether the studies were conducted on human or non-human subjects. Three relevant studies were shortlisted and finalized. The nature of the studies is as follows: prospective observational multicenter study (n = 9), case report (n = 1), and animal studies (n = 5). The studies suggested an association between cardiovascular complications and ZIKV in the acute phase of the infection. We recognize the limitations of our study owing to the paucity of the sample size of our literature review. However, the significant findings have also proved the dire need to conduct more research to further back the possibility of ZIKV’s influence on the cardiac cells. Closely studying these associations can eventually help develop a vaccine for ZIKV in the near future.

Zika virus: an emerging challenge to public health worldwide

“…Similar observations were recorded in various countries in the Americas during the outbreak of (Cao-Lormeau et al 2016Dos Santos et al 2016). Other associated complications in adults include arthralgia and cardiovascular problems; however, more evidenceoriented research is needed to establish the exact link between Zika infections and cardiovascular anomalies (Edupuganti et al 2017;Minhas et al 2017).…”

Introductory Chapter: Clinical and Epidemiological Implications of Zika Virus Infection - The Experience of RECOLZIKA in Colombia

“…Interestingly, this virus can cross the fetoplacental barrier to affect the fetus and cause microcephaly, microcephaly-related intellectual disabilities to neonates, ophthalmological alterations, loss hearing and epilepsy. Evidence has suggested that ZIKV could also invade cardiac cells, which could explain a described association between congenital heart disease in an infant born to a ZIKV-infected mother [13,23,24]. Differentiation on clinical grounds alone is often a very difficult task.…”

Fatal Zika virus disease in adults: A critical reappraisal of an under-recognized clinical entity

“…Nevertheless, publications in the literature on cardiovascular manifestations in adult patients with ZIKV infection are scarce, and the case report by Rajahram et al (2019) is timely in underscoring how this arboviral infection can produce unexpected clinical complications with renal and cardiovascular involvement. Previous reports have suggested an association between cardiovascular complications and ZIKV during the acute phase of the infection (Villamil-Gomez et al, 2018;Li et al, 2016;Minhas et al, 2017). However, only a limited number of studies have addressed this potential association (Martinez-Pulgarin et al, 2016;Minhas et al, 2017).…”

“…Previous reports have suggested an association between cardiovascular complications and ZIKV during the acute phase of the infection (Villamil-Gomez et al, 2018;Li et al, 2016;Minhas et al, 2017). However, only a limited number of studies have addressed this potential association (Martinez-Pulgarin et al, 2016;Minhas et al, 2017). Findings in patients (Abdalla et al, 2018) and non-human primates (Li et al, 2016) have provided evidence that ZIKV has a broad tissue tropism, which includes renal and heart tissues (Rajahram et al, 2019;Li et al, 2016).…”