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![Cardiovascular changes associated with AS may begin early in the disease process. Thus, assessment of cardiovascular risk should be routine for all patients affected with this disease. Preventing CVD or cardiovascular death depends on early identification and effective management of traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension or hypercholesterolemia. Despite their importance, screening and treatment of CVD risk factors in patients with rheumatic diseases are often suboptimal. One reason for suboptimal management may be confusion over who is responsible for monitoring cardiovascular risk in patients with AS.[14] The lack of disease-specific guidelines for risk assessment is another concern. Ensuring patients with AS are screened and managed appropriately for CVD will require collaboration between the rheumatologist or specialist nurse, the general practitioner, and the patient.[14]](https://www.thecardiologyadvisor.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2019/01/8heartmonitorvitalsignsts_1032652.jpg)
The American College of Cardiology (ACC) announced on May 11, 2020, that it will start collecting data from 2 registries, NCDR Chest Pain-MO and CathPCI, on patients with novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) and heart disease, in an effort to better understand the effects of the virus in this patient population that is affected to a greater extent than the general population by this virus.
Several hospitals have already contributed data to both registries, and additional ones will have the opportunity to input data dating back to the onset of the pandemic. These efforts will allow to build the body of knowledge on the cardiovascular impact of the virus (eg, in patients experiencing heart failure or undergoing cardiac catheterization and percutaneous coronary intervention procedures), as well as to inform patient care.
In addition to information on patients’ COVID-19 status, data collected in these registries will include key biomarkers of cardiac damage, complications associated with the virus, and cardiac events related with COVID-19 therapies.
These registries will also inform research efforts, including studies in which demographic aspects of the virus are examined (eg, impact and care disparities).
“The ACC remains committed to helping its members continue to transform cardiovascular care and improve heart health,” noted ACC President Athena Poppas, MD, FACC. “We are learning every day how COVID-19 impacts our patients. By adapting our registries to answer pressing scientific questions and knowledge gaps, we can ensure that our cardiovascular care team has validated data and updated tools to provide the highest quality care particularly during these uncertain times.”
Reference
Press release. American College of Cardiology Registries to Collect COVID-19 Data NCDR Chest Pain-MI, CathPCI registries will track coronavirus’s impact on heart disease patients. March 11, 2020. Accessed March 12, 2020.
