Mortality rates for COVID-19 patients jump significantly when they have underlying cardiovascular disease (CVD) and myocardial injury, according to new research out of China.
The study, published in JAMA Cardiology, included data from 187 patients treated at a single hospital in Wuhan, China, from Jan. 23 to Feb. 23, 2020. All patients were either treated and discharged or died while being hospitalized. Trained physicians reviewed and confirmed patient information taken from electronic health records, and patients were excluded in instances when data was incomplete. If serum levels of troponin T (TnT) were higher than the 99th percentile upper reference limit, the authors explained, acute myocardial injury was considered present.