SARS-CoV-2-mediated hyperferritinemia and cardiac arrest: preliminary insights

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a pandemic that began in China, was first noted in December 2019. SARS-CoV-2 infects through the angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2) receptor and co-receptors. In the most severely affected patients, it can cause pneumonia and multiple organ failure leading to death. Reports describe high death rates resulting from cardiac dysfunction, a co-morbid condition in SARS-CoV-2 patients, while the primary cause and mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we attempt to review clinical reports of SARS-CoV-2 patients in order to provide insight into a possible mechanism that allows hyperferritinemia (the presence of excess iron-binding protein) to cause cardiac dysfunction in SARS-CoV-2 patients. Such insights are an important avenue towards understanding the mechanism of cardiac dysfunction in SARS-CoV-2 patients and developing remedies for the same.

Automated summary

SARS-CoV-2, which originated in China, infects humans through the ACE-2 receptor and co-receptors, causing pneumonia and multiple organ failure. Reports suggest that cardiac dysfunction in SARS-CoV-2 patients may result in high death rates, but the underlying cause and mechanisms are still unknown. Some clinical reports propose that hyperferritinemia could be a potential mechanism contributing to cardiac dysfunction in SARS-CoV-2 patients.