The initial is that pre-existing heart conditions, like damaged cardiac muscle or blocked heart arteries, weaken the body’s ability to survive the strain of the illness. an individual with a susceptible heart is more likely to succumb to the consequences of fever, low oxygen levels, unstable blood pressures, and blood coagulation disorders — all possible consequences of COVID-19 — than someone earlier healthy.
An additional clarification relates to poor underlying metabolic health, which is more common in those with a heart condition. Poor metabolic health refers to diseases like type 2 diabetes or prediabetes and obesity, which themselves cause inflammation and risk of blood clots, compounding the consequences of COVID-19 and increasing the likelihood of devastating complications of COVID-19.
How does COVID-19 cause heart damage?
The SARS-CoV-2 virus can damage the hearts in several ways. for instance, the virus may directly invade or inflame the heart’s muscle, and it’s going to indirectly harm the heart by disrupting the balance between oxygen supply and demand.
Heart injury, which can be dignified by raised levels of the enzyme troponin within the bloodstream, has been detected in about one-quarter of patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 illness. of those patients, about one-third have pre-existing CVD.
Inflammation of the hearts muscle
The majority of individuals with COVID-19 will have mild symptoms and recover fully. However, about 20% will develop pneumonia, and about 5% will develop severe disease. within the severe sort of COVID-19, the body’s system overreacts to the infection, releasing inflammatory molecules called cytokines into the bloodstream.
This so-called “cytokine storm” can damage multiple organs, including the heart.
Inflammation of the hearts muscle, called myocarditis, typically occurs only in patients with advanced COVID-19 disease. Myocarditis may result from direct heart invasion by the virus itself, or more commonly by inflammation caused by a cytokine storm.
When this happens, the heart may become enlarged and weakened, resulting in low vital signs and fluid within the lungs. While this severe sort of myocarditis is rare, recent studies have suggested that a milder sort of cardiac muscle inflammation could also be far more common than previously recognized.
A recent study showed that asymptomatic heart inflammation was seen on resonance imaging in up to three-quarters of patients who had recovered from severe COVID-19.
Increased oxygen demand and decreased oxygen supply cause heart damage
Fever and infection cause the heart rate to speed up, increasing the work of the heart in COVID-19 patients who develop pneumonia. a vital signs may drop or spike, causing further stress on the heart, and therefore the resulting increase in oxygen demand can cause heart damage, especially if the guts arteries or muscles were unhealthy to start with.
Heart damage is most frequently caused by heart attacks, which result from the formation of a blood clot in a vulnerable heart artery, blocking the delivery of oxygen to the heart muscle. COVID-19-related inflammation raises the danger of this sort of attack by activating the body’s clotting system and disrupting the blood vessel lining. When inflamed, this lining loses its ability to resist clot formation. These blood clots within the large and little arteries of the heart stop its supply of oxygen.
The increased clotting tendency also can cause blood clots within the lungs, which may cause a drop in blood oxygen levels. Severe pneumonia drops blood oxygen further. When the oxygen demand exceeds the supply, the heart muscle is damaged.
Outcome a silver lining and dropping risk through healthy lifestyle
People with CVD who adopt healthy behaviors can strengthen their defenses against COVID-19 while also reducing the long-term risk from the disorder itself. this suggests many physical activities and following a healthy diet just like the Mediterranean diet. Cook at home once you can, and walk outdoors with friends if your gym is temporarily closed. Purchase a cheap and easy-to-use monitor to measure your blood pressure at home.
.And still, follow the CDC’s safety guidelines to wear masks, physically distance, and avoid large gatherings.