BACKGROUND
The interrelation between COVID-19 and various cardiovascular and metabolic disorders has been a critical area of study. There is a growing need to understand how comorbidities like cardiovascular diseases and metabolic disorders affect the risk and severity of COVID-19.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study is to systematically analyze the association between COVID-19 and cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. The focus is on comorbidity, examining the role of cardiovascular diseases such as embolism, thrombosis, hypertension, and heart failure, as well as metabolic disorders like glucose and iron metabolism disorders.
METHODS
Our study involved a systematic search in PubMed for literature published from 2000 to 2022. We established two databases: one for COVID-19-related articles and another for CVD-related articles, ensuring all were peer-reviewed. In terms of data analysis, statistical methods were applied to compare the frequency and relevance of MeSH terms between the two databases. This involved analyzing the differences and ratios in the usage of these terms and employing statistical tests to determine their significance in relation to key CVDs within the COVID-19 research context.
RESULTS
The study revealed that "cardiovascular diseases" and "nutritional and metabolic diseases" were highly relevant LV1 MeSH descriptors in COVID-19 comorbidity research. Detailed analysis at LV2 and LV3 levels showed "vascular disease" and "heart disease" as prominent descriptors under cardiovascular diseases. Significantly, "glucose metabolism disorders" were frequently associated with COVID-19 comorbidities such as embolism, thrombosis, and heart failure. Furthermore, iron deficiency (ID) was notably different in its occurrence between COVID-19 and CVD articles, underlining its significance in the context of COVID-19 comorbidities. Statistical analysis underscored these differences, highlighting the importance of both glucose and iron metabolism disorders in COVID-19 research.
CONCLUSIONS
This work lays the foundation for future research using a knowledge-based approach to elucidate the intricate relationships between these conditions, with the aim of developing more effective healthcare strategies and interventions in the face of ongoing pandemic challenges.