In the two years since the COVID-19 pandemic began, more than 500 million people have recovered from this terrifying disease.[i] While recovery was close to miraculous for many patients, it unfortunately also left patients with some lingering side effects and long-term health risks.
A recent study showed that in the first year after recovering from COVID-19, patients were at higher risk of contracting cardiovascular disease (CVD).[ii] Read on to learn more about the risk of CVD for COVID-19 survivors and what you can do to improve your heart health after recovery.
CVD risks for COVID-19 survivors
The risk of CVD for COVID-19 survivors is substantial, according to the recent study published in Nature in February 2022. Even those who only suffered an acute case of COVID-19 face increased risks of cerebrovascular disorders, dysrhythmias, ischemic and non-ischemic heart disease, pericarditis, myocarditis, heart failure, and thromboembolic disease.
The study compared more than 150,000 COVID-19 survivors one year after diagnosis with two control groups and found that the survivor group had significantly more heart problems than the control groups. For example, survivors were 52% more likely to have had a stroke and 72% more likely to experience heart failure than the members of the control groups.
Why CVD affects the heart
COVID-19 is a respiratory disease that mostly affects the lungs and airways between your mouth, lungs, and throat. However, one malfunctioning or damaged process in the body can have a domino effect on others. There are several reasons why this respiratory disease affects the heart.
- Lack of oxygen: COVID-19 causes inflammation and fluid build-up in the lungs, making it difficult for the body to obtain the oxygen needed to fuel vital processes. With less oxygen in the bloodstream, the heart must work harder to pump blood to carry oxygen to all the body’s organs. This causes the heart to overwork, which could lead to heart failure. Additionally, a lack of adequate oxygen can cause tissue damage and even cell death in the heart.
- Blood vessel inflammation: Shortly after the pandemic began, it was thought that COVID-19 infected the cells that line blood vessels.[iii] Further research led to the conclusion that blood vessels become inflamed as a side effect of the disease. Once the virus gets into the lungs, the body’s immune system responds by sending inflammatory signals throughout the body. While inflammation is the body’s method of fighting diseases, it can cause damage to blood vessel cells, which in turn can lead to leaky vessels or reduced blood flow.
- Heart inflammation: Viral infections are known to cause myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle, and cardiomyopathy, which can affect the heart’s ability to pump blood.[iv] This is usually caused because the body release chemicals to fight infections, but a surge in chemicals can cause the heart to inflame and reduce its ability to perform.
Protecting your heart after COVID-19
Not enough time has passed since COVID-19 took the world by storm in 2020 for doctors and scientists to understand its effects further than one year post recovery, but it’s safe to say that there is a correlation between COVID-19 and CVD. COVID-19 survivors should take this seriously and take care to protect themselves.
If you are a COVID-19 survivor, here are a few things you can do to protect your heart.
Eat healthily
Eating a healthy diet can help prevent many health complications including heart disease. In fact, obesity has been shown to increase COVID-19 complications and worsen recovery outcomes.[v] All COVID-19 survivors, especially those suffering from obesity, should pay strict attention to what they eat. Check out our tips for eating a heart healthy diet.
Exercise
Recovering from a disease such as COVID-19 may leave people with muscle weakness and fatigue. One of the symptoms of COVID-19 is rhabdomyolysis, which is the breakdown of muscle tissue.[vi] Another cause of weakness is simply the fact that many COVID-19 survivors spent significant time in bed while they were sick. After recovery, survivors might find it difficult to complete daily tasks, walk up and down stairs, and go for walks. However, it is important to get moving and exercise to recover from the disease and prevent further complications and heart conditions. Start small with short walks and work your way to longer and more strenuous exercises.
Get adequate sleep
May COVID-19 survivors find it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep.[vii] This could be because of a lack of natural daylight during hospital stays, medication, or even nightmares. However, adequate sleep is extremely important in preventing CVD. Sleep deprivation leads to hypertension, coronary heart disease, and even diabetes.[viii] If you aren’t getting seven straight hours of sleep a night, you are more likely to experience CVD. Try reducing caffeine and sugar intake during the day and sticking to a regular sleep schedule.
Monitor your heart and get regular CVD screenings
COVID-19 survivors should carefully monitor their heart health to understand whether they are at high risk of CVD. A great way to do this is to get regular screenings to determine your heart health. MyCardioGuard offers accurate and inexpensive screenings to detect early-stage CVD. Identifying risk factors that traditional methods fail to catch, MyCardioGuard’s FDA-approved technology is clinically proven, non-invasive, and takes less than 15 minutes. Learn more about getting screened on our website: https://www.mycardioguard.com/
[i] Statista. (2022, June 1). Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, recoveries, and deaths worldwide as of June 1, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1087466/covid19-cases-recoveries-deaths-worldwide/
[ii] Xie, Y., Xu, E., Bowe, B., & Al-Aly, Z. (2022). Long-term cardiovascular outcomes of COVID-19. Nature Medicine, 28(3), 583–590. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-022-01689-3
[iii] Varga, Z., Flammer, A. J., Steiger, P., Haberecker, M., Andermatt, R., Zinkernagel, A. S., Mehra, M. R., Schuepbach, R. A., Ruschitzka, F., & Moch, H. (2020). Endothelial cell infection and endotheliitis in COVID-19. The Lancet, 395(10234), 1417–1418. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(20)30937-5
[iv] Omidi, F., Hajikhani, B., Kazemi, S. N., Tajbakhsh, A., Riazi, S., Mirsaeidi, M., Ansari, A., Ghanbari Boroujeni, M., Khalili, F., Hadadi, S., & Nasiri, M. J. (2021). COVID-19 and Cardiomyopathy: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2021.695206
[v] Centers for Disease Control. (2022, May 22). Obesity, Race/Ethnicity, and COVID-19. https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/obesity-and-covid-19.html
[vi] Jin, M., & Tong, Q. (2020). Rhabdomyolysis as Potential Late Complication Associated with COVID-19. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 26(7), 1618–1620. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2607.200445
[vii] NHS. (2021, December 10). Your Covid Recovery. https://www.yourcovidrecovery.nhs.uk/your-wellbeing/sleeping-well/
[viii] Nagai, M., Hoshide, S., & Kario, K. (2009). Sleep Duration as a Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease- a Review of the Recent Literature. Current Cardiology Reviews, 999(999), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.2174/1573210ccr06011403x