Cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular outcomes in COVID‐19

Patients with cardiovascular disease have an increased risk of severe COVID‐19 disease and an increased mortality. Clinical observations have described cardiovascular complications of COVID‐19 in patients without prior cardiovascular disease, including acute cardiac injury, myocarditis, heart failure, arrhythmias, and acute coronary syndromes. These are also associated with a worse outcome from COVID‐19. Several of the potential treatments for COVID‐19 may also have cardiovascular consequences. Some of the acute cardiovascular complications resolve on recovery from the infection and it is uncertain how many people will suffer permanent cardiovascular damage. During the emergency lockdown that was introduced to deal with the pandemic it has been observed that hospital admissions with other cardiovascular conditions, such as acute coronary syndromes and heart failure, have been greatly reduced. Copyright © 2020 John Wiley & Sons.