ATG5 and COVID-19: Evidence was stratified as Level I (direct evidence in COVID-19-associated cardiac injury), Level II (COVID-19 systemic or vascular evidence with plausible cardiac relevance), and Level III (non-COVID cardiovascular or systemic disease; hypothesis-generating).<h4>Findings</h4>Across viral, cardiovascular, and systemic contexts, key candidate genes, including <i>ATG5, ATG7, Beclin-1, TERT, ICAM1</i>, and <i>eNOS</i> <b>-</b>emerged as potential mediators of COVID-19-related cardiac injury.