Covid’s impact on heart needs scrutiny : The Tribune India

Umesh CS Yadav

Professor, Center for Molecular Medicine, Japan National University

Heart attack has become a buzzword due to several recent deaths of young and middle-aged people. is missing. Some cases may be due to pre-existing heart-related problems leading to premature death, while others may be linked to Covid-19. However, due to the lack of proper research and studies, there is no clear evidence.

Nonetheless, these unfortunate deaths caught people’s attention. Many died dancing, singing, playing cricket and performing their duties such as driving a bus. But the Covid pandemic and subsequent surge in heart attack deaths has baffled clinicians, policy makers, and the public alike. Experts still don’t know how or if these deaths are related to Covid. I agree that it is difficult to understand without more research.

People infected with Covid have a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular problems such as heart attack and stroke, according to a study based on US Department of Veterans Affairs data. These problems can also occur in people who have had relatively mild COVID-19 and fully recovered. Researchers worry that cardiovascular-related problems could be the aftermath of the pandemic’s main shock, which has affected billions of people around the world. It is unknown how long it will last.

A recent study published in Nature reported that people who have recovered from severe Covid have a much higher risk of developing heart problems, such as swollen hearts and pulmonary thromboembolism, up to a year later. rice field. not infected. In addition, people with mild infections who recovered at home without hospitalization were also at risk of heart attack (8% higher) and heart inflammation (2.5 times higher). Other studies conducted in the UK also noted that people hospitalized with Covid-19 had a 2.5 to 3 times higher risk of heart-related problems than uninfected people.

However, other factors besides Covid may have indirectly affected people, such as irregular or missing health checks, sedentary lifestyles with little physical activity, high-energy diets, and stress during the pandemic. I have.

Interestingly, a Yale University study reported excessive numbers of autoantibodies in people hospitalized with severe COVID-19. Most of these antibodies are directed against one’s own tissues and cells and can inadvertently attack body tissues, including the heart, weakening their structures. As long as it does not lead to an acute event such as a heart attack or sudden death, there is nothing to worry about.

Coronaviruses enter through ACE2 receptors in organs and tissues such as the lungs, neurons, liver, kidneys, intestines, as well as the heart and blood vessels. The damage caused to these organs and tissues is widespread and long lasting even after Covid recovery. This is called “long-term Covid” lasting from a few months to over a year. A healthy endothelium, the innermost layer of blood vessels composed of endothelial cells, is critical to overall vascular health. These cells tend to be damaged by pathogens such as viruses and bacteria or their toxic products, persisting over time and inducing thrombosis and blood clotting. This can cut off the blood supply to healthy organs, causing heart attacks and strokes respectively.

In addition, studies have also found the presence of viruses or their debris in cardiomyocytes, the myocardium. This indicates that in the long term, it can lead to inflammation of the heart, which can lead to arrhythmias and heart failure. It puts an excessive load on the heart and can lead to heart-related death.

These premature deaths are alarming and raise a pertinent question — are they due to Covid-19 infection or vaccines? Increased has. It also increases the chances of blood clotting in patients who have recovered from Covid, which can lead to heart attacks. Responsible for these deaths? There are not enough studies to answer this question, but cases of vaccination-related coagulation, ischemia, and stroke have been reported in many countries.

It may sound similar, but not all heart-related problems are the same. You should understand various terms related to the heart. A heart attack is a condition in which the heart is deprived of blood supply and nutrients and oxygen due to a blockage caused by an atherosclerotic plaque or a blood clot trapped in a coronary artery. As a result, blood cannot reach parts of the heart, leading to malfunctioning, fatal myocardial infarction, and death. Heart failure is a condition in which the heart is unable to meet the demands of the body due to weakening of the heart structure, especially during strenuous exercise. SA) related to electrical signals generated in the nodules. Failure to generate or transmit electrical signals can cause arrhythmia or fibrillation, causing the heart to stop suddenly.

The causes of recent cardiac-related deaths need to be carefully examined so that prevention and treatment strategies can be appropriately designed. It should be understood that the deaths of different individuals can be due to different factors. These should be examined by a physician and appropriate postmortem studies performed to understand the cause. The best way to tackle this is to have a timely and proper medical examination and rule out preconditions. You should maintain a healthy lifestyle, eating fresh fruits and vegetables, practicing meditation and yoga, and incorporating walks and exercise into your daily routine. values, heart rate, blood pressure and other health parameters should be maintained. Also, young people need to be trained on how to perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) to deal with this type of public emergency.