MONDAY, Aug. 17, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- For patients hospitalized with COVID-19, preexisting cardiovascular comorbidities or risk factors (RFs) are associated with cardiovascular complications, which contribute to mortality, according to a meta-analysis published online Aug. 14 in PLOS ONE.
Jolanda Sabatino, M.D., from "Magna Graecia" University in Catanzaro, Italy, and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of observational studies assessing cardiovascular complications in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Data were included for 77,317 hospitalized patients from 21 studies.
The researchers found that 12.86 percent of the patients had cardiovascular comorbidities or RFs. During hospitalization, cardiovascular complications were registered in 14.09 percent of cases. Preexisting cardiovascular comorbidities or RFs were associated significantly with cardiovascular complications in COVID-19 patients in a meta-regression analysis. Significant interactions with death were seen for preexisting cardiovascular comorbidities or RFs, older age, and the development of cardiovascular complications during hospitalization.
"The association between the novel coronavirus and cardiac complications needs further exploration and clinicians should be aware of the potential impact of cardiovascular conditions and complications in COVID-19 patients, which should require more extensive and frequent monitoring," the authors write.
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