Abstract:
Background. Community-acquired pneumonia represents a major cause of morbidity and
mortality, in patients with cardiovascular comorbidities. The interaction between the
pulmonary infectious process and the cardiovascular system can lead to acute events, such
as acute coronary syndrome and arrhythmias.
Objective(s). Evaluation of the incidence, types and timing of occurrence of acute
cardiovascular events occurring during hospitalization in patients with pneumonia and preexisting cardiovascular diseases.
Materials and methods. Scientific articles were analyzed using electronic databases:
PubMed, ScienceDirect, ResearchGate and bibliographic sources from the "Nicolae
Testemițanu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy Medical Scientific Library. We examined
data from recent literature, including multicenter observational studies and systematic
meta-analyses.
Results. The integrated analysis shows an incidence of acute cardiovascular events from
20% to 35% of cases with community pneumonia and cardiovascular comorbidities. In this
context, acute heart failure was found in 15-16% of patients, atrial fibrillation constituting
8-9% of cases, and acute coronary syndromes were present in 2-3% of patients. In most
cases, complications occur in the first 3 days after hospitalization, triggered by the impact of
infectious inflammation on the function of the myocardium and vascular endothelium
through changes in nitric oxide synthesis, cyclooxygenase and activation of platelet function.
Conclusion(s). Acute heart failure was found to be the most frequent acute event in patients
with community-acquired pneumonia and cardiovascular comorbidities. Careful monitoring
of these patients could contribute to the early identification and effective management of
these complications.
