Frankfurt heart specialist Prof. Voigtländer gives Corona tips
by Michael Wichert
(11.12.2020) The corona pandemic poses major challenges for millions of cardiovascular patients in Germany with many fears and open questions. How dangerous a Covid 19 infection can be with an existing cardiovascular disease varies from case to case.
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Reliable data on the effects of the type and severity of the previous damage are not yet available. However, the frequency of cardiovascular complications with severe courses is currently estimated to be five to ten percent of those with Covid 19. “If there is massive cardiac insufficiency, it can be dangerous,” warns the heart specialist Prof. Dr. med. Thomas Voigtländer, deputy chairman of the board of the German Heart Foundation in the “HERZ heute” interview “Living with the Virus” at www.herzstiftung.de/leben-mit-corona-interview
People with heart diseases such as coronary artery disease, heart valve diseases or cardiac arrhythmias as well as circulatory problems such as high blood pressure should discuss with their specialist whether their risk of infection could also be particularly high. Otherwise, the cardiologist at the Cardioangiological Center Bethanien (CCB) in Frankfurt am Main refers to age as a further risk factor. Above all, older people from 60 or 65 years of age must protect themselves, “because their immune systems are less able to defend themselves against the virus”. This also applies to the elderly without heart disease, who should also protect themselves. “For those with heart disease, it must always be about minimizing unnecessary and additional risks,” as the intensive care physician and cardiac foundation board member emphasizes.
Therefore, people with heart disease should aim to avoid infection with the coronavirus. In addition to the well-known hygiene and distance measures (AHA + L rule), which should be implemented, the doctor advises not to travel to risk areas (“not recommended”). People with a cardiovascular disease should also be vaccinated against the influenza virus, as well as against pneumococci, the main pathogen causing pneumonia. Pneumococcal vaccination is also recommended for people over the age of 60 or younger with a particular health risk, such as chronic lung disease.
Good through the winter thanks to endurance exercise and a healthy diet
As a heart patient (and as a healthy person) what can you do best to strengthen your immune system and protect yourself as well as possible? “The decisive factor is a healthy lifestyle with a healthy diet and, above all, exercise,” emphasizes the cardiologist in an interview and recommends endurance sports – at least three times a week, depending on your resilience and after consulting your doctor, walking for an hour or jogging for 30 minutes. “If you can’t do that, you do something different. Every movement is better than no movement ”. With a healthy diet and exercise, everyone can effectively pinch another important risk factor for high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke: obesity. “Everything that is good for heart health in general also strengthens the body’s defenses and supports the immune system.”
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