BENGALURU: While COVID-19 starts off as a respiratory infection, it can leave a profound impact on the body and one vital organ that suffers the brunt is the heart. During the second wave, a lot of people have succumbed to heart attacks, while being treated for COVID-19, implying that the after-effects of contracting the virus may be far-reaching than previously assumed.
There has been a sharp rise in the number of younger, healthy people suffering from heart ailments, without having exhibited any obvious symptoms or risk for heart disease.?
Patients experience symptoms like shortness of breath, chest pain, weakness and fluttering pulse rate weeks after recovering from COVID-19. Post-infection, it is seen that a high number of patients suffer from one or more symptoms of heart disease and evidence suggests there could be more than one probable cause for the same.
Myocarditis or heart inflammation is one of the most common complication post-COVID, which may be set off due to the infamous cytokine storm caused by the virus, wherein the immune system turns on the healthy organs, causing widescale infections.
Oxygen deprivation, a common risk factor with COVID severity, may also be an important factor that causes heart disease. Any disruption in the healthy, oxygenated blood can cause inflammation, weaken heart muscles and trigger health problems.
There has been a rise in the number of clotting incidents reported with COVID, meaning that COVID may be just as devastating for the cardiovascular system, as it is for the lungs. In some cases, the virus could also lead to the formation of blood clots, damage linings of blood vessels leading to heart attacks, pulmonary embolism, stroke even for patients who have no previous history.
Precautions against heart problems
Control your blood pressure: Over time, untreated high blood pressure can lead to heart attacks and strokes
Sleep well: Getting less than six hours of sleep nightly is associated with hypertension
Eat right: Unhealthy eating leads to major health risks like obesity, hypertension and heart disease.
Watch your weight: Excess weight leads to high blood pressure and other risks for heart disease, and can actually injure your heart muscle, setting you up for heart failure
Control stress and stay active- A sedentary lifestyle is one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease
Precautions for pre-existing heart patients
People already with heart disease and damaged blood vessels are more likely to have a severe infection and clinical consequences. Therefore, it's more important for heart patients to take all the necessary precautions to prevent COVID-19 infection.
Poor lifestyle, bad diets could further aggravate problems. COVID-stricken anxiety could also push the body into pumping more blood and increase heart rate and pressure.
What remains important is for patients and caregivers to remain cautious about warning signs and symptoms of heart trouble, during and after battling COVID-19 infection. Patients with heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, should be regular with their medications, those who are not vaccinated should receive it at their turn
Take advantage of telemedicine - Communication with your doctor should be on top of your list and prevent symptoms from arising
Continue taking your medications - Stopping meds would be a mistake without a discussion with your doctor
Know when to seek emergency care for Covid-19: Get to know the signs of a Covid-19 infection
Cultivate healthy lifestyle habits: Eating healthy, exercising, getting adequate rest and monitoring blood pressure if you have hypertension are also crucial precautions to be taken to prevent heart-related health problems
(The writer is senior consultant - interventional cardiology, Aster CMI Hospital)