You may also notice symptoms in other parts of your body if you're suffering from a severe coronavirus.
The infection may harm your heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, liver, and digestive system, among other organs.
Even though we now have a better understanding of how Covid impacts the body than ever before, more study is still being conducted.
What Are the Effects Of Coronavirus On Your Heart And Arteries?
Heart palpitations, blood clots, oxygen and nutrient deprivation-induced heart damage, inflammation of the heart's muscle and lining, and Takotsubo syndrome are all possible side effects of Covid-19 (broken heart syndrome).
People may experience different symptoms, many of which are believed to be caused by the virus destroying endothelium cells (the cells which line all the blood vessels in our body). Damage to your blood vessels can cause abnormal blood coagulation, 'leaky' blood vessels, and reduced blood flow throughout the body, leading to various symptoms.
People with preexisting cardiac or circulation issues may be more susceptible to the side effects of Covid-19 because their endothelium may already be damaged or may be damaged in the future as a result of this (the inner lining of the blood vessels). The virus, on the other hand, can cause cardiac and circulatory problems in those who do not already have heart disease. Research in this field is ongoing, and we're still learning much about it.
Heart Palpitations or A Racing Heart After Taking Covid
Covid-19 may cause your heart rate to accelerate or become unpredictable as it pumps extra blood around your body to fight the infection.
Your heart rate might change for various causes, including dehydration, anxiety, drugs, and other health issues. Find out what triggers a rapid rise in your heart rate.
Unless you have a history of heart problems or are very anxious about your palpitations, you shouldn't hesitate to get medical assistance. If your palpitations persist, worsen, or don't recover as expected, you should also seek medical attention.
Scientists are currently investigating heart rate alterations after Covid. However, the virus and the immune response may affect the autonomic nervous system, which is still under investigation (rather than the heart muscle itself). Controls such as heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate are all handled by this section of the nervous system.
Symptoms of extended Covid and strategies for recovery are explained here.
If you get palpitations, a rapid heartbeat, chest pain, dizziness, or blackouts, dial 999 immediately.
Clotted Blood
Blood clots can also form in those who get sick from Covid-19. A possible explanation is that blood vessels have been damaged directly from the virus or due to the body's immune reaction. If they form in a dangerous location in your body, Life-threatening diseases, including deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, heart attack, or stroke, can result from clots in the blood vessels.
See how coronavirus impacts blood vessels.
Damage to the heart due to a deficiency in oxygen and nutrients
You may have fever and inflammation as your body tries to fight the infection with Covid-19. Heart rate irregularities may also result from this.
As a result of Covid's ravaging effects on one's lungs, one's heart may not receive enough oxygen. In addition to causing blockages in blood arteries that supply the lungs, the virus and the immune reaction can also harm the cells that line the blood vessels, reducing the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the heart.
Insufficient oxygen and nutrients in the circulation can damage the heart muscle, resulting in more significant stress on the heart. Coronavirus-infected individuals in the hospital with heart muscle damage (as indicated by blood tests) have a greater chance of death.
Further testing, such as echocardiograms, has revealed that the heart isn't pumping as efficiently in certain people (heart failure).
Although many studies believe that the virus can cause damage to the heart muscle function, it is not always apparent if the damage was previously there. To be clear, this study only included patients who required hospitalisation for Covid-19 and had elevated blood troponin levels (troponin is also used to diagnose heart attacks and is usually a sign of injury to the heart).
Fortunately, a BHF-funded study published in May 2021 indicated that moderate episodes of Covid-19 do not appear to be associated with long-term damage to the cardiovascular system.
The Heart Muscle and Lining Are Inflamed.
Covid-19 has the potential to inflame the heart's muscle and lining (myocarditis) (pericarditis). Infections other than Covid-19 can cause myocarditis and pericarditis.
Researchers at the BHF Cardiovascular Research Centre in Glasgow, Scotland, published a study in May 2022 that indicated that 1 in 8 persons hospitalised with Covid-19 developed myocarditis. The study also found that excessive Covid can cause inflammation throughout the body, including renal damage and cardiac irritation.
Study participants who were hospitalised between May 2020 and March 2021 were more likely to develop myocarditis than those who were otherwise healthy (needing a ventilator or treatment in intensive care).
They were already at a higher risk for severe illness with Covid-19, which is why they all participated in this trial. This study was conducted before discovering the Omicron variant in the UK. We now know that patients who contract this variant typically suffer from milder symptoms than those who do not.
Myocarditis was formerly caused by the virus targeting cardiac muscle cells directly early in the pandemic. In light of recent discoveries, many scientists believe that the immune system's excessive response to the virus may be to blame for this cardiac damage. Covid-19 patients' blood contains cytokines (molecules that immune system cells use to interact with each other, which are known for their role in inflammation), and BHF-funded researchers at the University of Cambridge have been looking into how these cytokines affect cardiac muscle cells.
Shortness of breath, chest pain or irregular cardiac rhythms are all possible symptoms of serious heart injury in some situations.
It's Called Takotsubo Syndrome ("Broken Heart Syndrome")
As a result of the rapid growth of the left pumping chamber, Takotsubo syndrome, or "broken heart syndrome," weakens the heart's ability to pump blood throughout the body. It's a common reaction to a stressful or emotional situation. Many times, the heart can heal itself.
There was an increase in patients diagnosed with Takotsubo during the pandemic. Not all of them had Covid-19. Takotsubo is still a relatively rare disorder, with an estimated one in fifty persons who go to the ER with chest pain symptoms. An investigation into this increase is still needed, but a combination of pandemic stress and inflammation induced by the body's immune system could be at work.
Perhaps this amount of Takotsubo syndrome already existed, but only recently has it been recognized.
