We found that COVID-19 patients with cardiovascular risk had lower levels of growth factors brain-derived neurotrophic factor (median concentration 22.70 vs. 38.57 pg/mL, p=0.015), PDGF-BB (median concentration 31.08 vs. 62.51 pg/mL, p=0.023) and PIGF-1 (median concentration 30.69 vs. 1.49 pg/mL, p=0.040) compared to patients without cardiovascular risk at the early acute phase of infection (first plasma sample collected after hospital admission, at a median 10 days after symptom onset, IQR 7–15) (Figure 2b). The gene discussed is BDNF; the disease is infection.