Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 15, 2026
In Silico Clinical Trials for Cardiovascular Disease
Published on: May 27, 2022
Pneumonia as a cardiovascular disease
Marcos I Restrepo1,2, Luis F Reyes1,2
1Division of Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX, USA.
Abstract:
Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is an important cause of death around the globe. Up to 30% of patients admitted to hospital for CAP develop cardiovascular complications (i.e. new/worsening heart failure, new/worsening arrhythmias, myocardial infarctions and/or strokes), acutely and up to 10 years thereafter. Cardiac complications result from complex interactions between preexisting conditions, relative ischaemia, upregulation of the sympathetic system, systemic inflammation and direct pathogen-mediated damage to the cardiovascular system. The exact mechanisms underlying the direct host-pathogen interactions are of great interest to identify potential therapeutic and preventative targets for CAP. In this review, we summarize the epidemiological data, risk factors and the pathogen-driven cardiovascular damage affecting patients with CAP.
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