Cardiovascular Complications of Community-Acquired Pneumonia

Abstract

Pneumonia is a highly encountered acute respiratory infection that can be caused by different pathogenic agents, including mostly viruses but also bacteria, fungi, and parasites. Cardiovascular complications frequently occur in CAP patients during hospitalization, with an absolute rate of cardiovascular events ranging from 10% to 30%. The cardiovascular system can be affected by multiple mechanisms induced by such an acute infection as CAP, which can cause cardiovascular complications such as heart failure, cardiac arrhythmias, acute coronary syndromes, and venous thromboembolism. These complications can be prevented by evaluating the pathophysiology of cardiac events in these patients based on atheroma plaque-related events, such as acute myocardial infarction, or events unrelated to plaque, such as arrhythmias and heart failure. Cardiovascular problems can impact patients' quality of life for a long period of time, up to one year of hospital discharge, and they are highly associated with adverse clinical outcomes and increased associated medical costs.