A recent study found that the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, can damage the heart even without directly infecting its tissues. Scientists do not know whether the damage occurs because the virus infects the heart tissue itself, or because of inflammation resulting from the body's known immune response.
The researchers studied immune cells known as cardiac macrophages, which normally play a crucial role in maintaining tissue health, but can turn inflammatory in response to injury such as a heart attack or heart failure.