The heart is a direct victim of Covid-19. In fact, cardiovascular diseases represent a complication of Sars-Cov-2 infection but also a risk factor, so much so that 7 out of 10 Covid deaths concern people suffering from hypertension. Furthermore, in the case of cardiac arrest, the probability of death is much higher than in those who are not infected.
But the effects of the pandemic also affect the heart indirectly, delaying diagnosis and treatment of heart attacks and increasing the burden of stress. Helping to get informed is the goal of the Campaign for Your Heart 2021, promoted by the Foundation for Your Heart of the Association of Hospital Cardiologists (Anmco), which in the week of Valentine’s Day will make 500 cardiologists available to citizens. Every year in Italy 240,000 people die from cardiovascular disease and those who suffer from it are, today, among the main victims of Covid-19.
“According to a report by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, out of 59,394 Covid patients who died in Italy – explains Michele Gulizia, president of the Foundation for your heart and director of Cardiology at the Garibaldi-Nesima Hospital in Catania – 70% had arterial hypertension, 25% ischemic heart disease and as many atrial fibrillation, 20% heart failure “.
Among the complications due to Sars-CoV-2 is the increase in blood clotting caused by the body’s inflammatory reaction: “This – adds Gulizia – represents a risk even in those who do not suffer from heart, because it can cause blood clots that can prevent the blood supply to the heart muscle “. However, Covid-19 threatens those suffering from cardiovascular diseases, even indirectly.
“Due to the pandemic – continues Gulizia – there has been a reduction in hospitalizations for heart attacks equal to 48% and mortality has gone from 4.1 to 13.7%. Alarming data confirmed by several studies that have found a high mortality, equal to 35%, for cardiovascular events occurred at home “. One of the problems is therefore that people go to hospital less for fear of contagion, but not only.
New Swedish research published in the European Heart Journal noted that those infected with Sars-CoV-2 who had suffered cardiac arrest were much more likely to die than those who were affected but were not infected. Another Covid-related pitfall for the heart, the expert emphasizes, “derives from the stress accumulated with the coronavirus emergency and is manifesting itself with a higher incidence of Takotsubo syndromes, a cardiomyopathy more common in women and similar to heart attacks. but in which the coronaries show no significant narrowing “.
A study by the Cleveland Clinic published on Jama Network Open, in fact, showed that the number of patients with symptoms of stress cardiomyopathy between March and April rose to 8% compared to 1.7% in the pre-pandemic period. Prevention is therefore the most important weapon, as the “Open Cardiology” project recalls. To answer questions and doubts about the health of the heart threatened by the pandemic, from 8 to 16 February, 500 cardiologists will be available to citizens with a free telephone consultation at the toll-free number 800 052233.
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