The heart may be affected by Covid-19. Although COVID-19 is essentially a respiratory disease, the coronavirus that triggered the global epidemic can also harm the heart.
More than half of those who contract COVID-19 suffer cardiac damage, according to early data from China and Italy, where the pandemic began. COVID-19 people have died due to heart failure, even if they did not have severe breathing issues like ARDS.
SARS-CoV-2 is the official name for this coronavirus, which causes cardiac problems in some people but not others. Doctor Mohammad Shahbaz describes how the virus and the body's response to it can cause heart damage. Dr Shahbaz is a cardiologist.
COVID-19 Has Been Linked to Heart Disease, But How?
According to Shahbaz, the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, or ACE-2, is a protein molecule that coats lung and heart cells. The ACE-2 protein is the new coronavirus's entryway to enter cells and multiply.
The anti-inflammatory properties of ACE-2 are typically beneficial in protecting tissue. On the other hand, the novel coronavirus may deactivate these molecules, leaving these cells vulnerable to the immune system's response.
COVID-19 has numerous mechanisms for causing heart disease, Shahbaz explains. "It's not one-size-fits-all." There are many reasons why heart tissue can be damaged in a short-term or long-term manner:
A lack of oxygen. Less oxygen can enter the circulation because of the virus's inflammation and fluid buildup in the lungs' air sacs. As a result, those with pre-existing heart disease may experience an increased risk of cardiac arrest. Cardiovascular disease can be caused by an overworked heart or a lack of oxygen, damaging the heart and other organs.
Myocarditis: a disease of the heart. Coronaviruses may directly infect and destroy the heart's muscular tissue with flu and other viral illnesses. The heart may also become injured and inflamed because of the body's natural immunological reaction.
Stress cardiomyopathy Cardiomyopathy, a heart muscle illness that affects the heart's ability to pump blood adequately, can be caused by a viral infection. Stress causes the body to release catecholamines, which can temporarily paralyse the heart in the presence of a virus. According to Shahbaz, the heart can heal itself once the infection has been treated and the stressor removed.
Complications Of the Coronavirus Virus Cytokine Storm
Shahbaz's concern is that a ferocious immune system response to an invading virus could destroy healthy tissue.
Cells interact with each other and fight off invaders by producing proteins called cytokines when a new coronavirus infects them.
Maybe because of a genetic variation, some people are more susceptible to a cytokine storm than others. During a cytokine storm, the immune system response creates inflammation that may be too much for the body to handle, leading to the destruction of good tissue and the damage of vital organs, including the kidneys, liver, and heart.
The heart's rhythm can be affected by a cytokine storm and the heart damage it causes. Cytokine storm-induced heart rhythm problems can be fatal, according to Shahbaz.
Coping with a cytokine storm is quite tricky. Immunosuppressive medicines are currently being investigated as a treatment option for people with COVID-19 who develop this significant consequence.
Do Symptoms Of COVID-19 Resemble Those of a Heart Attack?
Yes. Heart attack, including chest discomfort, shortness of breath, and abnormalities in an EKG or echocardiogram, can occur in patients with COVID-19. She says that patients with COVID-19 do not indicate a severe blockage in the heart's blood channels, which would suggest a heart attack in progress when angiography is performed.
Heart attack symptoms can be mistaken for myocarditis. A viral infection like COVID-19 can cause minute blood clots to form, which can clog tiny blood arteries and cause pain.
He says that a patient with these signs and symptoms could go directly to the catheterisation lab before the coronavirus pandemic.
COVID-19 "mimickers" now have to be considered first by emergency department doctors and cardiologists, who must conduct extra testing such as EKGs. COVID-19 symptoms alone are not enough to warrant a cardiac catheterisation, which puts both the patient and health care providers at risk.
Shahbaz urges that even during the epidemic, anyone experiencing heart attack symptoms should seek quick medical attention and not try to treat the condition themselves.
The researcher adds that the fear of catching COVID-19 at the hospital increases, and untreated heart attacks can lead to significant long-term problems.
If I've Had COVID-19, Is It Necessary for Me to See A Cardiologist?
Staying in frequent contact with your doctor and adhering to your medication regimen is critical for those who have heart disease during the epidemic, Shahbaz advises. A follow-up check to look for any additional cardiac damage caused by COVID-19 should be requested if they get the virus and recover.
Patients who have COVID-19 but have no history of heart disease should see their primary care physician. Because COVID-19 may have caused harm to the lungs or heart, if symptoms like exhaustion, shortness of breath or pain in the chest persist after recovery, testing may be conducted.
