Covid-19 Patients should check up their heart after recovery: Know why

Covid-19 Patients should check up their heart after recovery: Know why.

Doctors say that while the recovery rate is encouraging for many Covid-positive patients in India, there are some sequelae to the disease, which can cause long-term health problems. In fact, a recent Oxford journal study has revealed that nearly 50 percent of people hospitalized with severe COVID-19 have shown evidence of heart damage months after recovering from the disease.

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Therefore, it is important that patients have their heart checked after recovering, Dr. Ravi Kumar, senior consultant and clinical leader, Heart Failure and Transplantation, MGM Healthcare, says NewsGater.com.

“COVID-19 infection triggers inflammation in the body that can lead to a weakening of the heart muscle, heart rhythm abnormalities and even cause clots to form in blood vessels. Second, the virus can directly invade receptor cells, known as ACE2 receptors, within myocardial tissue and cause direct viral damage. These complications, such as myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, could lead to an increase in heart failure over time. For people with pre-existing heart disease, this can lead to a progression of the problem or an increase in different heart diseases, ”he explains.

1. Heart failure

Dr. Kumar says that heart failure occurs when “the heart muscle does not pump blood as well as it should.” “Certain conditions, such as narrowing of the arteries in the heart (coronary artery disease) or high blood pressure, cause the heart to gradually weaken or harden to fill and pump efficiently. This is a chronic condition and it gets worse. Medications and therapy can help the patient to live longer and better with them. Heart failure can be fatal depending on the severity. ”

The doctor cautions that for patients who have recently developed chest pains after COVID-19 or who had minor heart disease before becoming infected, an imaging test may be helpful. “The test can show if the virus has caused lasting damage to the muscles of the heart. It is recommended even for people who only experienced mild COVID-19 symptoms. ”

Dr. Kumar states that some patients develop chronic heart muscle weakness and cardiac enlargement, and a low cardiac ejection fraction after viral diseases, a condition called “dilated cardiomyopathy.”

Cardiomyopathies are known to worsen after diseases like Covid. This can lead to heart failure.

2. The treatment

In the early stages of heart failure, medication can help control the condition; in advanced heart failure, treatment options such as an LVAD procedure or a heart transplant are needed along with therapy. “An LVAD (left ventricular assist device) helps the left ventricle (the heart’s main pumping chamber) pump blood to the rest of the body. It is a viable and safe option for treating the disease, ”recommends Dr. Kumar.

The virus can directly invade receptor cells, known as ACE2 receptors, within myocardial tissue and cause direct viral damage, Dr. Kumar cautions.
(Photo: Pixabay)

Signs and symptoms of heart failure:

• Difficulty breathing
• Fatigue and weakness
• Swelling of the legs, ankles, and feet.
• fast or irregular heartbeat
• Reduced ability to exercise
• Persistent cough
• Increased need to urinate.
• Very rapid weight gain due to fluid retention
• Lack of appetite and nausea.

“Although these signs and symptoms can be due to heart failure, there are many other possible causes, including other life-threatening heart conditions, so it is recommended not to self-diagnose and instead visit your doctor immediately. They can stabilize your condition and determine if your symptoms are due to heart failure or something else, “concludes the doctor.