COVID-19 targeting heart: The perspective of injuring the vulnerable

In a clinical bulletin published by American College of Cardiology in February 2020, it was revealed that the case fatality rate of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic for patients with cardiovascular disease is 10.5%. Heart failure (HF) is a global pandemic affecting at least 26 million people worldwide and is increasing in prevalence. Looking at the historical prospectus of practice of clinical cardiology in most countries, patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 40% presented periodically to exhibit worsening signs and symptoms. The superimposition of novel respiratory tract pathogens like COVID-19 can have accelerated inflammatory injury. Immunosenescense, overactive immune response or direct viral toxicity are hypothetical mechanisms of cardiac injury. Undoubtedly, all countries have to proactively approach their cardiovascular disease (CVD) patient population due to high vulnerability from individual and epidemiological risk factors.