A national study suggests that risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as age, smoking and diabetes -- not preexisting heart disease -- are the main contributors to death and poor outcomes for critically ill COVID-19 patients. Researchers say the findings reinforce COVID-19 as a pulmonary disease with multi-organ injury related to systemic inflammation. However, they conclude results not minimize the fact that patients with cardiovascular disease are still at risk for death due to COVID-19, as they have a high burden of risk factors for the disease.
