Overview

People who have pre-existing heart conditions are more likely to have bad outcomes if they contract coronavirus. If a person has already had a heart attack, the chances of catching the virus are more even if the heart attack was not recent. Heart patients must take extra precautions to minimise their exposure to the virus.

The virus majorly affects the respiratory system, but the effect also extends as far as to harm the cardiovascular system. This is why patients with pre-existing heart conditions are at higher risk of having health threats such as hypertension, heart failure, and coronary artery diseases.

How COVID-19 is Related To Heart Patients?

If a person who already has heart conditions gets affected by COVID-19, there’s a higher risk for his condition to worsen. This can even lead to myocarditis or the inflammation of the heart muscle.

The virus triggers the inflammatory system, which puts more stress on the cardiovascular system as the body tries to work through its immune system. This can cause severe outcomes.

What Is Heart Screening?

Cardiovascular diseases, which are also popular as CAD or coronary artery diseases, can be managed by lowering the risks through different methods. Few people have ideal or average test results, but that does not mean if your test results are not normal, you're more likely to have cardiovascular diseases.

Major Screening Tests For Heart Health

Cardiovascular screening tests usually begin at the age of 20, and depending on the severity of your condition, the frequency of screening tests will be determined. Let's look at the significant screening tests for heart health monitoring.

- Blood Pressure - One of the most significant cardiovascular screening tests is blood pressure because high blood pressure usually appears non-symptomatic. You must measure your blood pressure per your doctor's recommendation. One can control one's blood pressure by changing one's lifestyle or incorporating medications.
- Body Weight - During your routine visits, your examiner might ask about your waist circumference, which is essential for counting your BMI (body mass index). This will then determine if your current body weight is healthy or not. If you are overweight, that makes you more prone to having cardiovascular health issues, for example, congestive heart failure, stroke, heart attack, atrial fibrillation and many more.
- Cholesterol - Starting at 20, you can take your cholesterol or fasting lipoprotein profile every 4 to 6 years. This blood test includes the LDL and the HDL, which are the bad and the good cholesterol. If you're at a higher risk of having a stroke or heart issues, then your doctor will determine the frequency of your cholesterol screening test. One can moderate one's cholesterol with medication or lifestyle changes.
- Physical Health - If you already have a heart condition, your overall lifestyle, physical activity and diet will come into play. Your overall physical health greatly decreases your chances of surviving even if you contract COVID-19.
- Blood Glucose or Sugar - People with high blood glucose are at greater risk of developing type 2 prediabetes, prediabetes and insulin resistance. Untreated diabetes is dangerous for your health as it can increase your chances of getting a stroke. If you are in the obese spectrum and on top of that, if you have one of the heart risk factors, then your doctor might prescribe you to have a glucose test. The glycated haemoglobin A1c levels also need to be measured in this case as it determines type 2 diabetes.

When to Consult a Doctor

You can also get in touch with the expert doctors at Narayana Healthcare based in your city to get immediate attention and medical support during injuries, health disorders or any other health concern.

Conclusion

As per the data and surveys, it is very evident that heart disease along with COVID-19 is a deadly combination to have in an individual, especially if they are older. However, screening tests for potential cardiovascular risk factors can help detect and manage heart problems with medication and proper lifestyle.

FAQs

Q. Is vaccination safe for heart patients in preventing COVID-19? A. People with a heart condition can also be vaccinated because there is no risk factor. The same goes for people who don't have any heart condition. Vaccination is safe for both sets of individuals.

Q. Are cardiac patients with diabetes at greater risk of dying due to COVID-19? A. If we consider the data we have globally, we can conclude that people with diabetes have higher rates of death if they get infected with COVID-19.

Q. Are people with cardiac health issues more likely to die of COVID-19? A. It is very evident from the survey and the data people have collected worldwide that most people who have a history of heart conditions are more likely to die of COVID-19.

Reference Links

- https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/news/coronavirus-and-your-health
- https://www.fortishealthcare.com/blogs/cardiovascular-disease-management-covid-19