Coronavirus is also dangerous for the heart

During the two years of the pandemic, enough data has accumulated to judge the long-term consequences of this disease. The heart is one of the main vulnerable points. It needs to be looked after.

How does the disease affect the heart?

In every eighth patient hospitalized with a diagnosis of COVID-19, doctors detect heart lesions. On the one hand, people who already have a history of problems are most often hospitalized: high blood pressure, heart attacks, arrhythmia. On the other hand, there is evidence that the infection itself worsens the condition of the heart and blood vessels.

According to a report from the reputable St. Louis Veterans Medical Center (USA), those who have had COVID-19 (including mild cases) may face an increased risk of serious heart problems even a year after infection. Thus, the risk of developing heart failure in the first year was 39% higher than in the rest; the risk of stroke was higher by 24%; the risk of a blood clot is 120%.

Among the most common new (that is, those that occurred without a previous history) complications after hospitalization, doctors name an irregular heartbeat (8.5%), blood clots in the legs (6.1%) or lungs (4.3%), heart failure (6.8 %). Heart attacks (1.7%) and strokes (1.2%) were less common.

The study, which used medical data from 153,760 people, revealed that after the first 30 days of infection, those who recovered from COVID-19 were more likely to experience inflammatory heart disease, coronary disease, heart failure, thromboembolic disease, and other disorders. The harder a person endured the disease, the higher the risks were.