What You Need To Know About COVID-19 and Your Heart
People with cardiovascular disease are more than twice as likely to contract severe forms of COVID-19. Are you one of them? Maybe you are and don’t realize it.
Nearly half of all U.S. adults have some type of cardiovascular disease. Heart diseases include:
- Heart failure: When the heart doesn’t pump as best as it should
- Arrhythmia: Refers to an abnormal heart rhythm; examples include atrial fibrillation, fast heart rate, slow heart rate
- Valve disease: When heart valves don’t allow blood to flow through as it should
- Heart attack: When the blood flow to a part of the heart is blocked by a blood clot
Startling Statistics
- Nearly 25% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients have been diagnosed with complications of the heart.
- The virus can invade or inflame the heart muscle.
- Mild inflammation of the heart has been seen in patients who have recovered from severe COVID-19.
- Heart damage was found in 78% of recovered COVID-19 patients without previous heart disease.
Your Next Move
If you have any form of heart disease, do your part to stay socially distant, wear a mask and wash your hands. Live a healthy lifestyle to strengthen their defenses against COVID-19. The approach is simple: Eat smart. Move more. Be well. Finally, anyone with cardiovascular risk factors/disease should be vaccinated.
Sources:
Harvard Blog
JAMA Cardiology
American Heart Association
