Reports Of Long-Term Heart Damage From COVID Puzzle Health Officials
Scientists are finding surprising damage, including reports that young, healthy patients with no history of heart disease showed signs that COVID-19 had taken a hefty toll on the heart.
ABC News:
The Heart: Before, During And After COVID-19
As the coronavirus pandemic rapidly evolved into a public health crisis of global proportions, doctors and scientists embarked upon a real-time journey to uncover how the virus mercilessly attacks various parts of the body and what to do about it. While medical experts have been troubled by the respiratory virus’ tendency to wreak havoc on the lungs, perhaps more puzzling has been its relationship with the heart. ... studies have shown that COVID-19 can not only exacerbate existing heart problems, but could also potentially cause new ones, causing experts to question whether the cardiac impacts of the virus may outlast the infection itself. (Johnson and Bhatt, 7/12)
CIDRAP:
Increased Incidence Of Stress Cardiomyopathy Linked To Pandemic
Psychological, social, and economic stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with an increased incidence of stress cardiomyopathy, also known as "broken heart syndrome," in uninfected patients, researchers from the Cleveland Clinic reported yesterday in JAMA Network Open. (7/10)
