No one can forget the long pandemic term which led to the full stop of everyone’s living style. You may be working from your home, increasing the intake of food, going out for trips and traveling, and having no healthy diet while learning a few things for the cheat day. Most people have gained a lot of weight during the pandemic, and it is said to be the main reason behind various emerging mental health issues today. Heart disease after COVID is another significant problem that has bewildered everyone. People are dying of heart issues especially those who were COVID-positive and had to fight the low level of oxygen. Heart attack, heart stroke, and other heart issues have become common after COVID. If you or anyone you know is having any kind of heart issue, do not hesitate to consult your nearby Best cardiologist in Delhi.
Do I need to worry about heart issues after COVID-19?
Yes, although COVID is primarily related to lung issues, it can highly affect how your heart pumps and perform other functions. It can lead to either temporary or long-lasting issues in your heart. These issues can be-
- A Lack of oxygen: COVID virus tends to fill your lungs with fluid-filled sacs. This fights with the organ to get reachable & oxygenated blood. On the other hand, the heart pumps the oxygenated blood and releases the bloodstream to flow into other body parts. A less oxygenated bloodstream fights with the other pureblood cells for the level of oxygen in the body. This poses danger to the heart and the heart can fail if the person doesn’t get immediate treatment. This can lead to the overuse of the heart and a lower level of oxygen in the body. Thus, low-oxygenated blood affects other organs and primarily the heart and lungs.
- Myocarditis: It is a kind of inflammation of the heart. Coronovaris can affect the heart muscles and other viral infections by straining your bloodstream with flu. The heart gets damaged and this indirectly impacts how your immune system works.
- Effect on the inner surface of the blood vessels and arteries or veins: Coronavirus can impact your blood vessels and may cause inflammation, damage, and clotting, and can lead to compelling situations for the vessels to flow blood or get overused. In all the cases of COVID-19 and heart attack issues, it has been seen that the building block of the inner lining of blood vessels called endothelial cells gets affected.
- Stress cardiomyopathy: Cardiomyopathy is the kind of heart disorder that impacts the heart’s ability to pump blood efficiently. When the body gets attacked by any kind of virus, the body undergoes stress, and this causes the release of a chemical called catecholamines, which causes immediate stun to the heart. Once the virus resolves, the stressor ends and the heart goes back to normal.
People going through COVID are seen as more at risk of developing heart issues or cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although the number of deaths due to COVID-19 has dropped extensively, there is still a poor outcome of the whole problem.
What body organs do COVID-19 affect?
Primarily, COVID affects the lungs and their functioning. It can cause death to the patient due to ARDS and pneumonia. However, COVID itself doesn’t lead to the development of diseases like ARDS and pneumonia, which is one of the significant observations in all the cases. If you take at least 100% of the COVID cases, there will be around 80% mild symptoms, 14% of cases with pneumonia, 5% will suffer because of immediate shock and respiratory failure and the remaining percentage will suffer because of any kind of fatal disease.
Some of the primary symptoms or signs of COVID, which can be fatal and can be thought of as related to other diseases or after-effects of winter, are:
- Fever
- Dizziness
- Breathlessness
- Headache
- Dry cough
- Loss of smell and taste
- Diarrhea and fatigue
COVID can be cured, but it is important to understand that it can be fatal and can lead to various underlying diseases like:
- Hypertension
- Diabetes
- cardiac problems
- Respiratory issues
- effect on people who are on immune suppression medications
Another important thing to keep in mind is that COVID can harm your lungs to the full extent and even the whole body system.
What is ARDS and how it is related to COVID-19?
There exists a direct link between COVID and Heart disease after COVID. In people suffering from COVID, many cases have been seen of pneumonia and other fatal infected diseases. ARDS is abbreviated as Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, which leads to the formation of dry cough, heavy breathing, breathing difficulties, and increased heart rate.
In other cases where no person is having any kind of underlying disease, the person may exhibit mild symptoms. These symptoms are treatable with medications and may require a quite long-term recovery time.
The infection of COVID can lead to ARDS and once the patient progresses with the disease, it can ultimately lead to pneumonia.
How to lower the risk of heart disease after COVID-19?
Tips to maintain a healthy life and retains yourself from the occurrence of heart disease after COVID, are:
- Understand the disease and let your nears & dears know about the family history.
- There are five key numbers associated with the prevention of COVID and these are-
- blood pressure
- total cholesterol
- HDL cholesterol or the good cholesterol
- body mass index, and
- fasting glucose levels
Be aware of these five key numbers if you or anyone you know is having COVID-related symptoms.
- Try to maintain a healthy diet that is full of nutrients, but should eliminate the use of bad fats and sweets.
- Quit smoking
- Manage your body weight: Perform exercise even on the premises of your home. Maintain a schedule of at least 30 minutes and add mild poses of yoga or exercises into it.
- Learn and make others get alert of the signs & symptoms of a heart attack including breathing discomfort, pain in arms, back, and neck, cold sweats, and lightheadedness.
Conclusion – risk for heart disease after COVID
To make yourself COVID-free, indulge in regular dieting and healthy eating. Do a little exercise and get a lot of rest without stressing your body.