COVID LEADS TO SERIOUS HEART COMPLICATIONS

Whether mild or severe infection, COVID is leading to serious heart complications among those who have recovered, said experts ahead of World Heart Day that falls on Wednesday.

Dr R Anantharaman, senior consultant cardiologist and lead for heart failure and transplantation, Kauvery Hospital, said COVID affects other organs like heart, liver or pancreas.

The infection inflames heart muscles causing myocarditis. Then comes arrhythmia and heart attack, which has increased mortality rate due to heart issues among post-COVID patients, he said. “People with established risk factors such as high blood pressure, previous arrhythmias and heart failure or other comorbidities might encounter more severe cardiac complications,” he said.

Doctors said even youngsters who recovered from COVID were developing heart issues. “All patients who recovered from COVID should have monthly follow up check ups,” added Dr Anantharaman.

Experts said even mild heart disease would increase coronary block that gets aggravated. If the virus has severely affected the heart, it causes myocarditis (inflammation of the heart), which worsens to heart failure.

“In some cases, recovered patients collapse suddenly due to inflammation. There are a few screening tests for heart to be done for those who recovered. Initially, two blood tests are needed, and if those are elevated, then it is advised to take ECO and ECG. These tests can help treat and prevent heart failure,” said Dr Madan Mohan, senior intervention cardiologist, MGM Healthcare.

Rural areas have higher mortality rate due to heart attacks because patients often delay in seeking medical attention after developing symptoms. Doctors said that people ignored symptoms and were hesitant to visit hospitals during the pandemic because of infection risks. So by the time they get hospitalised, their heart conditions would have worsened.

“We have been witnessing more heart-related issues among patients who recovered from COVID. Majority of patients in villages don’t report to the hospital immediately, which leads to higher mortality rate. We do mandatory health check-ups in six months, and often find patients who have blood clot in lungs or heart, and reduced heart function,” said Dr Kader Sahid, consultant cardiologist, Apollo hospital, Tiruchy.

“Heart attacks after COVID is very difficult to treat and the outcome is not great, because they have many blood clots in the heart. So the mortality is higher than usual,” he added.