Are Heart Patients at higher risk of COVID 19?

Coronavirus has everyone's attention. Everyone is being cautious and people with heart diseases have more reasons to be cautious.

Individuals who are above 65 with hypertension, diabetes or are suffering from any heart related illnesses, the concern is serious as they may develop more severe symptoms.

The virus could affect heart disease patients in several ways, said Dr Vanita Arora India’sbest cardiac electrophysiologist and interventional cardiologist.

Any individual can contact the virus in the same manner, i.e., via droplets in the air from an infected person coughing, sneezing, talking or via touching contaminated surfaces.
It directly infects the lungs, as a result of which there occurs a drop in the blood oxygen level. The inflammatory effect of the virus itself can cause the blood pressure to drop. In such cases, the heart must beat faster and harder to supply oxygen to major organs.

During this scenario, people with existing heart problems where pumping of the heart is inefficient, this virus can cause a severe and rapid deterioration. 

People with chronic medical conditions and existing heart issues may also have a less robust immune system and their body’s immune response may not be as strong when exposed to coronavirus, said Dr Vanita Arora, a cardiac electrophysiologistand heart specialist in Delhi, India.

Dr Arora added that people who have fatty buildup in their arteries, also known as plaques, may also be at risk from this virus. Research indicates that viral illnesses may destabilize these plaques, possibly contributing to blockage of artery supplying blood into the heart, thus putting patients at risk of heart attack.

One challenge that heart specialists may face is that previous viruses that affected the society at large, such as SARS, MERS offered more insights as compared to Coronavirus, for which information is changing almost every hour. Previous respiratory illness related viruses like SARS and MERS were also linked to problems such as inflammation of the heart muscle, heart attack and rapid-onset heart failure.

Dr. Arora, who is also the best cardiac electrophysiologist in India, mentioned that there are no special protocols for higher-risk cardiac patients, but they should be more careful in protecting themselves by staying at home, maintaining social distances, washing hands regularly, keeping surfaces clean.

She added, in addition to these recommendations, it is extremely important to exercise (can practice breathing exercise at home), get enough sleep, manage stress, and eat a balanced diet. These healthy habits will help to bolster the immune system in the longer term.

For further details about electrophysiology and heart related disorders, you may contact Dr. Vanita Arora, the best cardiac electrophysiologist and interventional cardiologist in Delhi, India.