Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, there have been various studies regarding the infection. Scientists have looked at the origin, functionality, possible mutations, and the associated complications with the virus. In some of the studies, researchers found that there is a strong link between problems related to heart health and severe coronavirus infection.
The association was also seen in many of the patients who had to stay in the emergency rooms and were on the ventilator due to developing a critical stage of the infection. Doctors from different hospitals around the world have reported an increase in the risk of stroke, heart attack, and clotting in even some of the younger patients.
Other reports on the virus have also shown that having it can worsen existent health conditions including cardiovascular issues and others such as diabetes as well. However, in the majority of the studies, it was not indicated whether the effects are life-long or temporary if medical attention is sought at the right time.
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In two of the new studies on the infection, it is shown that contracting the virus can cause complications that may appear later in life as well. The effects are same regardless of whether a person develops a severe form of infection or a mild one that does not require hospitalization and emergency room visits.
Two new studies looking at the impact of coronavirus infection on heart health conclude that the effects remain and are likely to cause issues even after recovering from it.
One of the studies analyzed the heart condition of around one hundred patients who recovered from coronavirus infection and were in their forties. Although the participants were otherwise healthy, tests and imaging showed that they had more symptoms of cardiac issues.
These participants were seen to have a variety of problems ranging from having a biomarker for an injury that usually occurs after a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack, structural alterations in the heart, and high levels of inflammation.
Dr. Valentina Puntmann, who is a Cardiovascular Clinical Pharmacologist and senior research investigator at the Institute for Cardiovascular Imaging at Goethe University, explained that “The fact that 78% of ‘recovered’ [patients] had evidence of ongoing heart involvement means that the heart is involved in a majority of patients, even if Covid-19 illness does not scream out with the classical heart symptoms, such as anginal chest pain,”
She also added that these findings showed that doctors and healthcare experts should lookout for signs of cardiovascular issues in the early stage of coronavirus infection to avoid further complications.
The second study focused more on people who had passed away from the coronavirus infection and performed autopsies. In the reports, the researchers stated that a very high amount of coronavirus was found in the heart, especially in those who developed a very severe form of the infection along with other complications.
Though the researchers say that further investigation is required to examine the long-term effects of the virus on heart health, it is clear that high levels of inflammation are likely to cause an issue. Both of the studies have been published in the journal JAMA Cardiology.