Covid survivors with heart ailments vulnerable to post-recovery complications
Long Covid is the post-Covid conditions and symptoms that keep developing even after the acute Covid-19 infection is over
By Sulogna Mehta Published on 30 Sept 2023 3:06 PM ISTRepresentational Image
New Delhi: The Covid pandemic has passed but with each passing day, new observations and research about the deadly Coronavirus are surfacing, including the effects of long Covid.
Long Covid is the post-Covid conditions and symptoms that keep developing even after the acute Covid-19 infection is over. The symptoms differ from one patient to another but the long-term effects can manifest and linger for weeks, months and even years post recovery.
The latest health issue to be added to the plethora of problems triggered by long Covid is a dangerous immune response in the plaque deposits that boosts inflammation of the blood vessels further enhancing the risk of arterial blockages and heart attacks in pre-existing cardiac patients.
The numerous effects observed so far in Covid survivors include fatigue, breathing difficulties, chronic pains, hair loss, brain fog, anxiety disorder, depression etc. in mild and moderate cases. In more severe cases of Covid, damage to the heart, lungs, nerves, and pancreas has been observed leading to cardio-pulmonary complications including heart attacks and lung fibrosis, stroke and diabetes.
Coronavirus worsening heart ailments
According to researchers at New York University (NYU), Covid infection can trigger a dangerous immune response in the hard fatty deposits (plaques), lining the interiors of the heartās blood vessels, which can disrupt the normal blood flow.
Exposure of these plaques to the Coronavirus boosted inflammation in blood vessels, thereby enabling the fatty deposits to interfere with the blood flow and worsen pre-existing heart conditions, researchers at Langone Health, USA found.
Immediate and long-term impact on blood vessels
The team of researchers analysed 27 tissue samples of blood vessels from autopsies of severe Covid patients from May 2020 to 2021 who previously were diagnosed with heart disease.
The study sheds light on the possible mechanisms through which Covid-19 heightens the risk of getting a heart attack or a stroke, especially in those with underlying heart conditions.
This inflammation caused by Coronavirus can lead to both immediate and longer-lasting heart issues, such as the breaking up of artery-clogging plaques, and may contribute to long Covid symptoms, the authors said in their study published in the journal Nature Cardiovascular Research.
The long Covid symptoms the authors refer to include heart palpitations, chest pain, and fatigue, all of them documented to have been reported by long Covid patients.
Also, the bodyās natural inflammatory response to the infection created an environment, which made it easier for the plaque to grow, rupture, and block blood flow to the heart, brain, and other key organs, according to the lead researcher Natalia Eberhardt, a postdoctoral fellow.
People with atherosclerosis are more at risk
The researchers also found that Coronavirus flourished in people having large plaque buildup in their arteries, partly explaining why those with atherosclerosis are more vulnerable to Covid-19. Atherosclerosis refers to the thickening of blood vessel walls due to the fatty deposits lining them.
āIt appears that the immune cells most involved in atherosclerosis may serve as a reservoir for the virus, giving it the opportunity to persist in the body over time,ā said study senior author and cardiologist Chiara Giannarelli and added, āThese results shed light onto a possible connection between pre-existing heart issues and long Covid symptoms.ā
Long Covid - signs and symptoms
Some of the known conditions triggered by long Covid ā even in some mild and moderate cases ā are cough, fatigue, breathing difficulties like shortness of breath, palpitations or pounding heartbeat, chest pain and tightness, aggravation of existing chronic muscle and joint pains and headaches, sleep issues, gastrointestinal problems and experiencing excessive hair loss (Telogen effluvium). In severe cases, damage to the heart, lungs, nerves and pancreas has been observed leading to cardio-pulmonary complications including heart attacks and lung fibrosis, stroke and diabetes.
Psychological issues such as severe anxiety disorder and panic attacks, hypochondriasis, OCD, depression, brain fog or problems related to memory and concentration have been added to the plethora of problems experienced by Covid survivors.