SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19: a primer for cardiologists

Abstract

In the late autumn of 2019, a new potentially lethal human coronavirus designated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in Wuhan, China. The pandemic spread of this zoonotic virus has created a global health emergency and an unprecedented socioeconomic crisis. The severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the illness caused by SARS-CoV‑2, is highly variable. Most patients (~85%) develop no or mild symptoms, while others become seriously ill, some succumbing to disease-related complications. In this review, the SARS-CoV‑2 life cycle, its transmission and the clinical and immunological features of COVID-19 are described. In addition, an overview is presented of the virological assays for detecting ongoing SARS-CoV‑2 infections and the serological tests for SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody detection. Also discussed are the different approaches to developing a COVID-19 vaccine and the perspectives of treating COVID-19 with antiviral drugs, immunomodulatory agents and anticoagulants/antithrombotics. Finally, the cardiovascular manifestations of COVID-19 are briefly touched upon. While there is still much to learn about SARS-CoV‑2, the tremendous recent advances in biomedical technology and knowledge and the huge amount of research into COVID-19 raise the hope that a remedy for this disease will soon be found. COVID-19 will nonetheless have a lasting impact on human society. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s12471-020-01475-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Opportunities, Challenges and Pitfalls of Using Cannabidiol as an Adjuvant Drug in COVID-19

“…One of the most common complications is an acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) resulting from the cytokine storm phenomenon, a violent and uncontrolled inflammatory reaction in response to the presence of the virus in the host organism [ 1 , 2 , 16 , 23 ]. However, the negative consequences of COVID-19 are also connected with other disorders of the respiratory system [ 1 , 16 , 26 , 27 ], with the cardiovascular system (for review, see [ 1 , 16 , 22 , 26 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]) and with dangerous hematological complications, particularly thromboembolism [ 1 , 16 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 ]. In addition, pathological changes in the renal [ 1 , 16 , 27 , 33 , 37 , 38 ], gastrointestinal, hepatic, pancreatic [ 1 , 16 , 27 , 31 , 39 , 40 ] and nervous systems [ 1 , 27 , 41 , 42 , 43 ] have been described.…”

“…There is a significant association between severe COVID-19 and the occurrence of thromboembolism (for review, see [ 1 , 16 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 ]). Unfortunately, only a few publications have addressed the influence of CBD on the components or parameters of hemostasis.…”

Damage to the cardiovascular system in COVID-19

“…Затем белки расщепляются и собираются, образуя новые вирусы. Новые вирусы сливаются с плазматической мембраной и попадают в внеклеточное пространство, готовы вторгнуться в другие клетки [15]. Аффинность SARS-CoV-2 к АПФ2 сильнее, чем в SARS-CoV [9,17,20].…”

“…Это, пожалуй, самая глобальная угроза в 21 веке [9,[11][12][13]. Вирус относится к семейству Coronaviridae, который, как полагают, происходит от летучей мыши, прежде чем он может заразить человека [2][3][14][15][16]. Это не первый раз, когда коронавирус заражает человека.…”

The Netherlands Heart Journal: special issue on COVID-19

“…Starting with a broader overview, de Vries [ 1 ] very thoroughly describes the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) life cycle, its transmission and the clinical and immunological features of COVID-19. Different approaches to developing a COVID-19 vaccine are touched upon and the perspectives for treating COVID-19 with antiviral drugs, immunomodulatory agents and anticoagulants/antithrombotics are described.…”