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COVID-19 and cardiovascular diseases
Fan Liu1 , Feng Liu1,2,3,4,* , Lu Wang1,*
1State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin 300020, China
2State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
3Institute for Stem Cell and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
4University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
*Correspondence to:Feng Liu , Email:liuf@ioz.ac.cn Lu Wang , Email:wanglu1@ihcams.ac.cn
J Mol Cell Biol, Volume 13, Issue 3, March 2021, 161-167,  https://doi.org/10.1093/jmcb/mjaa064
Keyword: COVID-19, cardiovascular diseases, SARS-CoV-2, ACE2, systemic inflammation

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains a global public health emergency. Despite being caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), besides the lung, this infectious disease also has severe implications in the cardiovascular system. In this review, we summarize diverse clinical complications of the heart and vascular system, as well as the relevant high mortality, in COVID-19 patients. Systemic inflammation and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2-involved signaling networking in SARS-CoV-2 infection and the cardiovascular system may contribute to the manifestations of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, integration of clinical observations and experimental findings can promote our understanding of the underlying mechanisms, which would aid in identifying and treating cardiovascular injury in patients with COVID-19 appropriately.