Corona affects the heart for a long time

Corona affects the heart for a long time

Doctors are concerned about possible complications that may affect some people in terms of cardiovascular health months after they were infected with the Corona virus, although it is too early to confirm the existence of a causal relationship in this context.

A few days ago, the “French Academy of Medicine”, which is authorized to announce the scientific opinions on which the medical body in France is unanimous, confirmed that “clinical monitoring of the heart and blood vessels is necessary for all people infected with Covid-19, even if the infection is mild.”

The Academy indicated that there are "dangerous links" between corona and cardiovascular diseases, based on several recent studies.

It was previously known that patients with cardiovascular disease face a higher risk of contracting severe forms of corona. This is mainly because the virus, Sars-Cov-2, clings to the ACE2 receptor, which is specifically found in blood vessel cells.

But what about the effects on people's cardiovascular health in general? And if it is proven, can it occur after a long period of infection with corona? Questions that increase the uncertainty associated with what is known as “long-term Covid”, which is a permanent set of symptoms, the lack of which is understood and identified, that accompanies some recovering from Corona.

The academy indicated that, “so far, permanent consequences for cardiovascular health have been reported only in patients who have been hospitalized (due to infection with corona), in a small series and with a short follow-up period.”

But a large study conducted in the United States and published by “Nature” magazine last month changed the equation, according to the Academy, which said that its results “predict a significant increase in cardiovascular diseases worldwide” after the Corona pandemic.

This study was conducted on more than 150 veterans of the US Army, all of whom were infected with Corona. During which, the frequency of cardiovascular disorders was measured in the year following infection with corona, and compared to groups of war veterans who did not have infection.

The results of the study indicated that “after 30 days of infection, individuals infected with Covid-19 are more likely to develop cardiovascular disorders,” including cases of infarction, inflammation in the heart or strokes.

The study indicates that this risk “exists even in individuals who have not been hospitalized” because of their infection with corona, although the degree of this risk is much lower in these patients.

Many researchers praised this research, especially that it was conducted on a very large number of patients and for a long period. However, experts are more skeptical about the validity of the findings.

British statistician James Doidge told AFP that it was "extremely difficult to draw important conclusions" from this study, citing the presence of a lot of methodological biases in the research.

One obvious point of bias, according to Doidge, is that American veterans, despite their large number, are a very homogeneous group because it is made up largely of older men. They are therefore not necessarily representative of society at large, even if the study authors sought to correct these statistical biases.

This correction remains insufficient, according to Doidge, who points to another problem, which is that the study does not clearly distinguish the extent to which cardiac disorders occur long after infection with corona.

Similar to the flu?

Hence, there is a difference in the outcome if the patient is exposed to cardiovascular disorders after a short period of infection with corona (does not exceed a month and a half) or after about a year. According to James Doidge, the study does not allow sufficiently distinguishing between "long-term complications from those associated with the acute phase of the disease."

However, this work is "worthy of note just because it exists," French cardiologist Florian Zuris told AFP.

Zuris also noted many flaws in the study, but he considered that they make it possible to support hypotheses that many cardiologists consider “possible” regarding the Corona virus, which, like other viruses, can cause permanent infections.

However, "we have known for a long time that inflammation is a risk factor for the heart and blood vessels," according to Zuris, who added, "In fact, we record exactly the same thing with influenza."

He recalled that in the XNUMXs, cardiovascular disease recorded a significant increase in the aftermath of the Spanish flu pandemic.

Is there a feature that makes the Corona virus more dangerous in this regard? Existing studies do not make it possible to say this, as Florian Zuris doubts there is a "significant difference" with influenza.