Covid-19 can have fatal consequences for people even without underlying cardiovascular disease or respiratory problems, according to a study published on Monday.
"It is likely that even in the absence of previous heart disease, the heart muscle can be affected by coronavirus disease," said Mohammad Madjid, MD, MS, the study's lead author and an assistant professor of cardiology at McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
"Overall, injury to heart muscle can happen in any patient with or without heart disease, but the risk is higher in those who already have heart disease,” said the authors cautioning that understanding the effects of COVID-19 on the cardiovascular system is essential for providing comprehensive medical care for cardiac patients..
The authors in the study, published in JAMA Cardiology explained that research from previous coronavirus and influenza epidemics suggest that viral infections can cause acute coronary syndromes, arrhythmias, and the development of, or exacerbation of, heart failure.
In a clinical bulletin issued by the American College of Cardiology, it was revealed that the case fatality rate of COVID-19 for patients with cardiovascular disease was 10.5%. Data also points to a greater likelihood that individuals over the age of 65 with coronary heart disease or hypertension can contract the illness, as well experience more severe symptoms that will require critical care.
According to the study authors, critical cases are those that reported respiratory failure, septic shock, and/or multiple organ dysfunction or failure that resulted in death.
The authors also analysed another small retrospective study of 150 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 that evaluated the factors associated with mortality. It was found that cardiovascular disease was more prevalent in patients who died (13 of 68) than patients who survived (0 of 82).
“Among the 68 fatal cases, 36 died of respiratory failure, 5 died of myocardial damage and circulatory failure, 22 died of both causes, and 5 died from undetermined causes.64 Patients who died had higher levels of troponin, myoglobin, C-reactive protein, serum ferritin, and interleukin-6. This study is further suggestive of a high inflammatory burden in COVID-19 and a possible rise in myocarditis-related cardiac events.”
The novel virus that causes COVID-19 originated in Wuhan, China, and by March 11, 2020, the WHO had declared it a global pandemic.
The three most common symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, and shortness of breath.
Other less common symptoms are muscle pain, sore throat, nasal congestion, and headache. Symptoms can appear as soon as two days after exposure to the virus to up to14 days after.
The co-authors of the study "Potential Effects of Coronaviruses on the Cardiovascular System" include Payam Safavi-Naeini, MD, of the Texas Heart Institute and Scott Solomon, MD, of Harvard Medical School; and Orly Vardeny, PharmD, of the University of Minnesota.
