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Covid 19 and Heart Diseases – Is There a Connection?

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The medical emergencies that erupted globally due to the SARS Covid-19 virus have been unprecedented and unforeseen. The lives of innumerable people have changed beyond recognition, and nation-states continue to tackle financial, medical, and structural ruptures.

The scientific community continues to meticulously observe the covid-19 virus to extract gainful information that may alter our understanding of the same.

Nonetheless, epidemiologists have, in fact, made a striking linkage between cardiovascular diseases and Covid 19. Studies show that as compared to the general population, people with heart diseases are more than twice as likely to be inflicted with severe forms of covid19.

Why do Heart Diseases Increase the Risk of Covid 19?

Pre-emptive cardiovascular problems like a damaged heart muscle or blocked heart arteries emasculate the body’s immune system. As such, the person is more susceptible to succumb to the effects of fever, low oxygen levels, unstable blood pressure, blood clotting, and so forth – which are the prime consequences that one faces after being inflicted with Covid 19.

Likewise, conditions of poor metabolic health such as Type 2 Diabetes, or pre-diabetes, and obesity are closely associated with underlying heart diseases, which together may cause inflammation and elevate the risks of blood clotting that Covid19 often causes.

Furthermore, any kind of heart condition could be exacerbated by severe Covid19 but is improbable in mild or asymptomatic cases. 

Is It Possible to Suffer from Heart Diseases as a Post-Coronavirus Symptom?

Studies illustrate that 20 percent of all the Covid19 patients are very likely to suffer from pneumonia, and about 5 percent will contract severe medical issues. Disruptions to the normal functioning of the heart as a post-covid symptom is caused due to several reasons:

  • Inflammation – the cells in the lungs and the heart are enveloped with protein molecules called angiotensin that convert ACE-2 – an inflammatory facilitator. But, the novel coronavirus, at times, dissolves the molecules and uses the ACE-2 protein as its doorway to enter cells and multiply. The coronavirus may infect and damage the heart’s muscle tissues directly and cause myocarditis. At times, scarring of heart tissues may be an immune response of the body.
  • Lack of oxygen – The inflammatory commotion fueled by the novel coronavirus causes air sacs in the lungs to fill up with fluid, thereby allowing less and less oxygen to reach the bloodstream. Hence, the heart has to strive harder to pump blood through the body, a context that can be dangerous for people with pre-existing cardiovascular problems. The more dire consequences of insufficient oxygen can be cell death and tissue damage in the heart.

If someone experiences rapid heartbeats, palpitations, or chest pain post Covid19 recovery, they should visit the doctor at the earliest.

But, it is noteworthy to highlight that the long-standing impacts of Covid19 are still being scrutinized and monitored.

A survey conducted in Germany on 100 people who had coronavirus revealed abnormal findings in 78 of the sample patients.

Corroboration of scarring and inflammation of the heart muscle and its adjacent tissues was prominent in many patients who had Covid19 vis-à-vis those who did not.

But, a resounding conclusion that links comprehensive heart issues and Covid19 requires further investigation. 

Image Credit: Getty

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