Telemedicine in Cardiology for Outpatient Follow-Up of Patients at High Cardiovascular Risk in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction

COVID-19, an infectious disease caused by the new type of coronavirus (SARS-Cov-2), usually shows a benign clinical course, although it can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome. The main risk factors for the severe form of COVID-19 include older age and presence of comorbidities, such as diabetes, hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, elective medical appointments have been reduced. Even though an increase in cardiovascular events as an adverse effect of this healthcare system reorganization would be expected, some reports have suggested a possible reduction of such outcomes in countries with high prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, the mechanisms related to this decline are not well understood.

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