Psycho-Cardiological Disease in COVID-19 Era

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, panic and public health responses, including self-monitored quarantine and lockdown of the city, have severely impacted mental health and caused depression or anxiety in citizens. Psycho-cardiology indicates that psychological factor plays an important role in coronary heart disease (CHD). COVID-19, depression and CHD can co-exist and deleteriously affect each other, leading to worse progression and prognosis. Delays in medical consultation and treatment have become more common than before the pandemic, inducing more cardiovascular (CV) events and sequelae. COVID-19 survivors have been identified to have more psycho-cardiological symptoms compared with non-COVID-19 controls. Undoubtedly, diet alterations and sedentary lifestyles during the pandemic will cause and aggravate psycho-cardiological diseases. Some frequently used cardiovascular drugs were found to associate with changes in depression. With the advent of the post-pandemic era, although the acute damage of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is gradually declining, the psycho-cardiological diseases related to the novel coronavirus are becoming increasingly prominent. So it is an important issue for us to explore the pathogenesis, clinical manifestations and corresponding preventive measures of this aspect.