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HowToPreventHeartDisease.com |
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How Is COVID-19 Linked To Heart Disease? Being first reported in the China in December 2019, COVID-19 has become a pandemic that has infected more than 10 million and killed at least half a million people globally. Most of the serious illness caused by COVID-19 results from pneumonia, which in some cases can rapidly deteriorate to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). But in some patients, COVID-19 can not only cause pulmonary problems but also affect vascular tree, kidneys, central nervous system, the skin and even the heart. COVID-19 triggers a severe inflammatory response in the body and inflammation is the biggest cause of heart attacks. Inflammation can cause plaque buildup in the arteries to swell that can lead to blood clots, heart attack, and stroke. The virus can also trigger heart conditions in people who did not have them before contracting the virus. People with heart disease, including high blood pressure, and congenital heart defects, are more likely to develop more severe symptoms and complications when infected with COVID-19, according to The American Heart Association (AHA). A clinical bulletin published February 7, 2020 by the American College of Cardiology (ACA) indicated that 40 percent of hospitalized COVID-19 patients had cardiovascular disease or cerebrovascular disease (which refers to blood flow in the brain like stroke), based on early reports. While the statistic does not imply that people with heart disease are more likely to contract COVID-19, it does mean that these people are more likely to have complications once they do get it.
The virus can affect heart disease patients in
several ways. When COVID-19 enters the body, its main target is the respiratory
tract and the lung. Once the lung is infected, oxygen supply to the heart is
diminished, placing a huge stress on the heart, and raising the chances of a
heart attack or heart failure. The virus can also directly infect the heart
muscles, causing inflammation and swelling of the heart muscles, heart muscle
injury, or trigger off arrhythmias. Patients with severe COVID-19 infection also
appear to have a higher tendency to have blood clots form within the blood
vessels. This can raise the risk of a heart attack or stroke, too. Moreover,
people with heart issues might have a weaker immune system, making it harder for
them to fight off the virus. This means that if they get infected, the virus is
more likely to stay longer and cause complications.
On March 27, 2020, a study published in journal 'JAMA Cardiology' analyzed 187 patients with confirmed COVID-19 at the Seventh Hospital of Wuhan City, China, from January 23, 2020, to February 23, 2020. Results of the analysis suggested that myocardial injury, which may be caused by inflammation and is linked to cardiac dysfunction and arrhythmias, is significantly associated with fatal outcome of COVID-19. Majority of people who develop heart muscle damage from COVID-19 have significant pre-existing medical conditions that could put them at higher risk of developing heart disease, including coronary artery disease, diabetes, obesity, or hypertension. There are several potential mechanisms that might produce this heart damage. These include myocarditis (heart muscle inflammation3); stress cardiomyopathy (also known as broken heart syndrome); rupture of a pre-existing coronary artery plaque; severe, generalized hypoxia (absence of oxygen) that was caused by overwhelming lung disease can damage the heart, especially in areas where the vascular supply to the muscle is already compromised; and cytokine storm. Cytokine storm is caused by an overwhelming immune system response to the infection. This exaggerated immune response linked to COVID-19 can cause serious health problems, including direct damage to the heart. Low blood pressure caused by cytokine storm can also interfere with the heart's ability to pump.
For hospitalized COVID-19 patients, symptoms
resulting from heart injury can be easily confused with the pulmonary symptoms
caused by the virus. These symptoms may include significant dyspnea (shortness
of breath); cough; fatigue; weakness; palpitations; dizziness; chest pressure or
pain; and syncope (loss of consciousness). Hence doctors usually cannot rely on
symptoms alone to alert them to the possibility that the virus also may be
producing cardiac issues. Date: July 3, 2020
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