According to the reports from China, most of the COVID-19 patients (about 80%) will show flu-like symptoms, including fever, dry cough, and body aches that can be manageable at home. 20% will catch further serious symptoms, such as pneumonia needing hospitalization, with about a quarter of these requiring ICU-level care.
Initial reports focused that COVID-19 affected the respiratory system, such as pneumonia and difficulty in breathing. Recently, many serious cardiovascular complications have been occurred in about 10% to 20% of hospitalized patients of COVID-19. If patients having pre-existing cardiovascular disease, are infected with COVID-19, they may suffer from a heart attack or develop heart failure.
Myocarditis: –
While increasing of these heart problems, the more unusual condition has been observed in COVID- 19 patients, in which some COVID-19 patients having a heart attack, are suffering from marked inflammation of the heart muscles, is called myocarditis. ECG (electrocardiograms) and blood test of these patients show the elevated levels of Troponin. Severe injury to the heart muscle is measured by troponin levels.
Troponin is a cardiac enzyme that is released when the heart muscle is damaged.
Increased risk of severe illness and death in Heart patients with COVID-19:-
About 10% of heart patients, who are suffering from COVID-19, have a risk of death except for only 1% of otherwise healthy patients. The risk has also been increased in people with high blood pressure (hypertension) and coronary artery disease, its reason is not clear.
ACE and ARBs:-
Some experts have suggested medications named as Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB), for the treatment of High Blood pressure.
The study is ongoing to test whether, ARB, may protect COVID-9 infected people and whether it is harmful or not?
American Heart Association, The American College of Cardiology, and Heart Failure Society of America, therefore, advise that we neither stop the use of ACE inhibitors and ARBs in patients already taking them nor prescribe them anew.
Safety precaution to prevent infection:-
- There are no special precautions for higher- risk cardiac patients to prevent COVID-19 but it is for all the individuals to include frequent hand washing and keep social distancing as much as possible.
- Keep the vaccine up to date.
- Heart patients should avoid close contact with children 18 and under, because they may transmit the disease to other family members.
- Do regular exercise at home, get enough sleep and eat a balanced diet this will not only boost the immune system but also help to ward off COVID-19 and good for CVD patients.
