People with severe COVID-19 can have lasting heart damage for multiple reasons.
The novel coronavirus can leave a long lasting impression on people’s lives. One of the ways it does this is through heart inflammation. But this damage doesn’t affect everyone.
Why do some people have heart damage following a battle with the illness but others don’t? Here’s a look.
Who Is Most Likely to Have It
Anytime a person is in poorer health, the impact of an infection can be worse on them than average. According to Harvard Health, some groups of people are more likely to experience an inflamed heart muscle if they fall sick with COVID-19. These include people who live with cardiovascular disease (CVD), those who have diabetes, a suppressed immune system, asthma, and anything that causes their metabolic health to be poor. All of these conditions can lead you to have a more acute case of COVID-19.
Why Heart Inflammation Happens
Basically, if your body is in sub-optimal health, the stress of an illness makes things worse. If your body is already living under stress, adding on more can be too much to handle. Conditions like diabetes can cause inflammation on their own. Heart disease (CVD) can cause blocked arteries and damage your heart muscle. When COVID-19 strikes a person living with diabetes or CVD the body can often go into overdrive. If this happens, inflammatory molecules known as cytokines are released into your blood stream. The sudden increase in inflammation can cause what is called a “cytokine storm”.
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In some people, a cytokine storm causes inflammation of their heart muscle (myocarditis), and other organs. And in others, the virus actually invades the heart muscle itself. In both of these cases, increased inflammation occurs causing your heart to grow in size and to weaken. When this happens, your blood pressure can drop and fluid fills up in your lungs.
Finally, some people with severe COVID-19 suffer from heart attacks. This is because the infection can cause blood clots and one of these can appear in a vulnerable artery. If this happens, not enough oxgyen will be getting to your heart. This can then impair your heart. While all of these events are rare, they are known to happen in people with severe COVID-19 and this is often why they die.
Some People Have Heart Inflammation Following the Vaccine
It is important to get your coronavirus vaccine in order to protect yourself from getting COVID-19 and also to stop the spread of the illness in order to save lives and end the pandemic. This being said, it is also good to stay informed. Cases of inflammation of the heart have occurred in some people following COVID-19 but also after getting their coronavirus vaccine. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), some people reported cases of heart inflammation after receiving the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in the US. These reports were rare but they happened. The cases were more likely to be found in adolescents and youth, mostly male, aged 16 and older. The inflammation happened most often within several days of getting the vaccine, and more often after the second dose rather than the first.
Experts say they are not entirely sure why heart inflammation is happening and how it is connected with the mRNA vaccines. Most importantly, in most cases it is treatable. Rest and medication often fix the situation with no lasting damage.
For what should you be on the lookout? Symptoms of heart inflammation after a COVID-19 vaccine can include a pounding heart beat, a fast heart beat, chest pain, and shortness of breath. If you are concerned, talk with your doctor immediately for the best treatment.
For more information on inflammation following the vaccine, click here.
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