• Roque Aras Júnior, André Durães, Leonardo Roever, Cristiano Macedo, Marcela Gordilho Aras, Luca Nascimento, Alex Cleber Improta-Caria, Ricardo Augusto Leoni De Sousa, and Gomes-Neto Mansueto.
• Universidade Federal da Bahia, Faculdade de Medicina - Salvador (BA), Brazil.
• Rev Assoc Med Bras (1992). 2021 Jan 1; 67Suppl 1 (Suppl 1): 163-167.

AbstractThe severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) induces coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19), has affected many people in Brazil and worldwide. This disease predominantly affects the organs of the respiratory system, but it also damages the brain, liver, kidneys and especially the heart. In the heart, scientific evidence shows that this virus can damage the coronary arteries, generating microvascular dysfunction, favoring acute myocardial infarction. Furthermore, with the increased expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, it can lead to myocarditis and cardiac fibrosis, inducing changes in the electrical conduction system of the heart, generating cardiac arrhythmias. All these factors mentioned are protagonists in promoting the increase in the mortality outcome. This outcome may be even higher if the individuals are elderly, or if they have other diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus or hypertension, because they may already have cardiomyopathy. In this context, this review focused on the impact that COVID-19 can have on the heart and cardiovascular system and the association of this impact with aging, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiac arrhythmias and arterial hypertension.

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