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Scientists some time ago confirmed the increased risk of complications caused by COVID-19 in people suffering from cardiovascular diseases, including high blood pressure, coronary heart disease and heart failure. Meanwhile, the authors of an article published on the JAMA Network point out that the infection itself can damage the heart muscle.
Coronavirus can damage the heart
Cardiologists examined 100 convalescents. Most, as much as 67 percent. of cases were patients who only recovered at home, while the rest were treated in intensive care units. The tests were performed on average 71 days after the COVID-19 diagnosis was confirmed.
In 78 percent MRI showed visible changes in the heart, indicating a history of myocarditis. In 76 percent elevated levels of highly sensitive troponin (a contractile protein in striated muscle that can be used to identify or rule out a heart attack or damage to the heart muscle) have been detected. However, in 60 percent. of cases, doctors found active myocarditis.
The authors of the article write: “A few months after the diagnosis of COVID-19, there is a possibility of left ventricular dysfunction and inflammation, which may be the focus of heart failure and other cardiovascular complications”. Moreover, cardiologists have observed in some cases a clinical syndrome consistent with acute myocarditis and / or damage to the heart muscle.
Therefore, they concluded that cardiomyopathy (an abnormality within the heart muscle) and heart failure may be related to COVID-19.
“Given the number of convalescents in the world, this problem could affect up to … 10 million people,” estimated Dr. Ifeanyi M. Nsofor, Policy Director and spokesman for Nigeria Helth Watch, in an interview with Channel News Asia.
“We do not want to cause additional anxiety, but rather encourage other scientists to carefully scrutinize existing and prospectively collect new data in other populations to confirm or disprove these findings,” emphasize the authors of the report.
However, if the above symptoms of convalescents are confirmed by further research, it can be assumed that in some cases COVID-19 leads to heart failure and other chronic cardiovascular complications.
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