Potential Cardio Risks Post Covid

Potential Cardiovascular Risks in Patients After Initial COVID-19 Infection 

Persistent symptoms from coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) are present in nearly 90 percent of patients 60 days post diagnosis. Proper testing, diagnosis, and management may prevent worsening illness. 

• COVID-19 has the potential for both direct and indirect long-term effects on the cardiovascular system. This also includes people who experience only mild cases and can present weeks after the initial infection. 
• Fatigue, shortness of breath and chest pain are three common symptoms experienced by “long-haulers”, people who experience symptoms for more than 4 weeks after the initial viral infection, and coincide with main symptoms of heart disease. 

The most common COVID-19 heart related symptoms are: 

–Dyspnea (difficulty breathing) 

-Chest Pain 

-Cough 

-Shortness of breath

-Impaired Exercise Ability 

-Decline in Stamina 

-Presyncope/Syncope (dizziness/fainting) 

These symptoms could indicate: 

– Heart failure 

-Sudden cardiac death 

-Life threatening arrhythmias 

-Aneurysm formation of the coronary arteries and aorta 

-High Blood Pressure 

-Thromboembolic disease (blood clots in large and small arteries and veins) –Impaired blood pressure and heart rate responses 

-Accelerated atherosclerotic disease (plaque in the arteries) 

A delay in diagnosis, and consequently treatment, can have damaging consequences. For individuals experiencing any of these symptoms, even weeks after a mild infection, an echocardiogram is an excellent way to kill the many proverbial birds with one stone. This non-invasive diagnostic test is able to rule out many of the disease processes that put a person’s cardiovascular system under strain.

Reference: 

Becker, R.C. Anticipating the long-term cardiovascular effects of COVID-19. J Thromb Thrombolysis 50, 512–524 (2020). 

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11239-020-02266-6