Adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) have been considered potentially high risk for novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) mortality or other complications. There is much uncertainty about what cardiac conditions merit inclusion under “high-risk.” In the absence of data, consensus recommendations for COVID-19 and CHD have been made based on sensible suppositions regarding at-risk subtypes, including a proposed risk stratification for COVID-19 complications.  

In a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the case/fatality ratio for patients with CHD from COVID-19 was 2.3% among mostly symptomatic infections. This percentage is in alignment with the reported cumulative world fatality rate of 2.2%. The early experience with the COVID-19 pandemic identified heart disease as a risk factor but likely implied heart failure, coronary atherosclerosis, cardiomyopathies, and PAH.  

The article is very detailed and for those of us who are not cardiologists, the information is a little overwhelming, however, the good news is that congenital heart disease may not increase your risk of COVID-19 infection and/or mortality. All in all, not bad news, right?

Stay well, mask up, and stay tuned!