Symptoms of a rapid or irregular heart rhythm may include: Make sure you are drinking enough fluids, especially if you have a fever. A temporary increase in heart rate can be caused by a lot of different things, including dehydration. Heart Rate and COVID-19Īfter you have had COVID-19, if you are experiencing a rapid heartbeat or palpitations, you should contact your doctor. Current research is exploring the possible benefit of using immune-suppressing drugs to treat patients with COVID-19 who experience this serious complication. “Serious ventricular arrhythmias due to a cytokine storm can be catastrophic,” Gilotra says.Ī cytokine storm is difficult to survive. In a cytokine storm, the immune system response causes inflammation that can overwhelm the body, destroying healthy tissue and damaging organs such as the kidneys, liver and heart.Ī cytokine storm and its resulting heart damage can also affect the heart’s rhythm. In some people, perhaps due to a genetic difference, this normal defensive event is exaggerated, leaving them vulnerable to a cytokine storm. When responding to infection with the coronavirus, the body releases a flood of proteins called cytokines that help cells communicate with one another and fight the invaders. Most serious of all, Gilotra says, is the possibility of the immune system launching an attack on the invading virus that is so severe that it destroys healthy tissues. Cytokine Storm: A Serious Coronavirus Complication Once the infection resolves, the stressor has ended and the heart can recover. When attacked by a virus, the body undergoes stress and releases a surge of chemicals called catecholamines, which can stun the heart. Stress cardiomyopathy. Viral infections can cause cardiomyopathy, a heart muscle disorder that affects the heart’s ability to pump blood effectively. “Severe COVID-19 is a disease that affects endothelial cells, which form the lining of the blood vessels,” Post says. The heart may also become damaged and inflamed indirectly by the body’s own immune system response.Ĭoronavirus infection also affects the inner surfaces of veins and arteries, which can cause blood vessel inflammation, damage to very small vessels and blood clots, all of which can compromise blood flow to the heart or other parts of the body. Myocarditis: inflammation of the heart. The coronavirus may infect and damage the heart’s muscle tissue directly, as is possible with other viral infections, including some strains of the flu. The heart can fail from overwork, or insufficient oxygen can cause cell death and tissue damage in the heart and other organs. The heart has to work harder to pump blood through the body, which can be dangerous in people with preexisting heart disease. Lack of oxygen. As the virus causes inflammation and fluid to fill up the air sacs in the lungs, less oxygen can reach the bloodstream. Temporary or lasting damage to heart tissue can be due to several factors: Yes: Although COVID-19 is primarily a respiratory or lung disease, the heart can also suffer. , and Nisha Gilotra, M.D., clarify which post-coronavirus symptoms may point to a heart issue, when to call your doctor, and other facts all long-term COVID-19 survivors should know. Johns Hopkins cardiologists Wendy Post, M.D. How do you tell if your symptoms are heart-related, and what can you expect if they are? Some of the symptoms common in coronavirus “long-haulers,” such as palpitations, dizziness, chest pain and shortness of breath, may be due to heart problems - or, just from having been ill with COVID-19. For people who have had COVID-19, lingering COVID-19 heart problems can complicate their recovery.
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