Public health experts began researching the link between heart disease and COVID-19 early on in the pandemic, and the picture has become clearer over time. According to an early bulletin released by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) on March 6, 2020 (PDF), people who have underlying cardiovascular disease actually have a higher mortality rate when it comes to COVID-19 (10.5 percent) than people who have an underlying chronic respiratory disease (6.3 percent).
The COVID-19 mortality rate for people with underlying cardiovascular disease was between 10.5 and nearly 14 percent. That number jumped to between 35 percent and almost 87 percent for people who had underlying coronary artery disease. The researchers credit the increased risk of COVID-19 complications in cardiovascular disease to an abundance of a receptor that serves as a gateway for the virus to jump into the lungs and heart.
How does COVID-19 Affect the Heart?
The virus that causes COVID-19, and studies have shown that many viruses can cause arrhythmia and even heart attacks. COVID-19 causes a severe inflammatory response in the body, and inflammation is the biggest cause of heart attacks. Inflammation can cause otherwise benign plaque buildup in the arteries to swell, causing blood clots, heart attack, and stroke.
Myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle, usually only occurs in people who have a severe illness from COVID-19, and can be caused by the virus entering the heart. However, recent studies have suggested that a milder form of heart muscle inflammation may be more common than previously thought. Another study, published on July 27, 2020, in JAMA Cardiology, which included 100 people who had recently recovered from COVID-19, revealed cardiac involvement in 78 percent of patients and ongoing myocardial inflammation in 60 percent of patients. According to the analyses, heart images of 26 competitive college athletes who had recovered from COVID-19. Twelve of the athletes reported a mild case of COVID-19 while the rest were asymptomatic. The researchers found that 15 percent had signs on the images that were consistent with myocarditis.
How to Stay Safe and Healthy for people with heart ailment?
- Don’t Delay Getting Care for Heart Issues
- Take Your Heart Medication
- Do Not Take Unproven Drugs to Treat COVID-19
- Get Vaccinated —for COVID-19
- Double-Up on Masks to Protect Yourself and Others
- Get Updates and Information from Credible Sources
COVID-19 and the heart
The new coronavirus is a respiratory disease, meaning it mostly affects the lungs. But when the lungs aren’t working at full steam, the heart has to work harder to pump oxygen-rich blood around the body. That added stress can be dangerous for people with heart disease. COVID-19 poses a greater risk to people who have underlying conditions, including:
- Coronary heart disease.
- Diabetes.
- High blood pressure.
- Previous stroke.
People in those groups may be at higher risk of catching COVID-19. They’re also more likely to develop severe symptoms if they get sick. Some people who experience heart symptoms might be reluctant to go to a clinic or emergency room during a pandemic. But you shouldn’t ignore signs of cardiac emergencies. Heart attacks, dissections, heart failure, and arrhythmias are still occurring.
