Something surprising and that needs to be taken with attention is that one person dies every 36 seconds in the United States from cardiovascular disease. Now, COVID-19 has added more health conditions for cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients. COVID-19 does not primarily affect the heart; Instead, it affects the lungs by damaging the walls and linings of the air sacs in your lungs. However, individuals with CVD are at a higher risk of COVID-19 due to the already compromised immune system. A person with CVD who contracts COVID-19 can have a difficult time recovering.
Furthermore, two cardiac issues are closely related to COVID-19: heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms. Statistics show that, in one-fourth of hospitalized, COVID-19 patients 40% of all deaths were from CVD patients. Effects of patients that have COVID-19 and CVD, include ineffective blood pumping and inflammation of the heart muscle and the membrane around the heart. Other viruses such as the Adenovirus, Human Parvovirus B19, Rubella, and others affect the heart.
COVID-19 can severely worsen the symptoms of patients who are undergoing CVD. COVID-19 is known to have contributed to irregular heartbeats, inflammation of the heart muscle, less amounts of blood flow to the heart, and in severe cases, cardiac death. Cardiovascular disease patients are recommended to isolate, avoid large crowds, and sanitize regularly to prevent worsening. CVD is still a thing and precaution still should be taken.
Thus, COVID-19 has immensely impacted patients with CVD worsening health conditions. However, CVD patients are advised to socially distance and receive the flu shot every year.
References
Author: Curt Daniels. “COVID-19 and Heart Damage: Ohio State Wexner Medical Center.” COVID-19 and Heart Damage | Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, 14 Dec. 2020, wexnermedical.osu.edu/blog/covid-and-heart-damage.
“What Do Heart Patients Need to Know about COVID-19 Now?” Www.heart.org, www.heart.org/en/news/2020/08/10/what-do-heart-patients-need-to-know-about-covid-19-now.
Nishiga, Masataka, et al. “COVID-19 and Cardiovascular Disease: from Basic Mechanisms to Clinical Perspectives.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 20 July 2020, www.nature.com/articles/s41569-020-0413-9.