SALT LAKE CITY – A year after the pandemic, doctors have noticed a trend: some patients with COVID-19 are recovering from heart disease and heart complications contribute to many coronavirus-related deaths.
Intermountain Healthcare said recent studies show that 20% of patients with COVID-19 may have heart problems at the end of their illness.
Travis Smith can relate.
“I was always under the assumption, I’m 30. I should be fine,” Smith said.
In July, Smith got the virus and began, presumably, with the typical symptoms, until one night.
“The only way I could describe that night was as if my heart was trying to go between my rib cage and crawl,” he said.
When he was 8 years old, Smith was diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia or an abnormally fast heartbeat. Since then, he has experienced about two episodes a year. Since I had COVID-19, it has about five episodes a week.
“You feel like it’s a respiratory virus, so everyone is worried about their lungs and their breathing,” he said. “The biggest COVID factor for me has been heart problems.”
Smith is not alone.
“It’s pretty clear that COVID can affect the heart in a minority or subset of patients,” said Dr. Kirk Knowlton, head of cardiology at the Intermountain Healthcare Heart Institute.
In addition, heart complications can increase the severity of the virus and the risk of death. A recent study showed that heart problems can contribute to approximately 40% of all coronavirus-related deaths.
“It’s even more important to avoid exposure to COVID and also be aggressive about vaccinating them,” Knowlton said, talking about those with cardiovascular complications. “It’s probably the best tool we have to make sure we don’t suffer from COVID-related heart disease.”
Knowlton also urged people with heart complications to receive the medical care they needed when they needed it.
“There have been too many stories of people who, unfortunately, are afraid to get COVID and wait. And either they complete a heart attack, or some have even died at home,” he said. “This is a real problem that worries us a lot. It’s making sure people come for treatment.”
For now, Smith’s days are on hold. His heart can’t stand it. Your cardiologist doesn’t know how long it can last.
“Unfortunately, this is the hand they have given me lately,” he said.
You can be sure that he will hurry to get the vaccine next week when the first dose is available for those over 18 with heart problems and other medical conditions.
“He is very excited that this line will finally reach us,” he said.