Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have learned that the coronavirus attacks much more than just your respiratory system. There are virus symptoms that affect everything from the mouth to the digestive tract. Now, a new study published in the Journal of Cardiology of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has found that one of the most frightening persistent effects of COVID-19 is also very common. According to the Jamaica Cardiology study, almost 80 percent of COVID patients have heart damage.
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The research, which was conducted at Germany’s Frankfurt University Hospital, examined the MRI images of 100 patients diagnosed with COVID-19, most of whom were healthy and aged between 40 and 50. Scans showed that 78 of the patients (78 percent) had signs of heart damage. Additionally, 60 percent of patients showed signs of inflammation. The researchers say these surprising findings demonstrate the need for “continued investigation of the long-term cardiovascular consequences of COVID-19.”
The lead author of the study, Valentina Putmann, MD, cardiologist and clinical pharmacologist at Frankfurt University Hospital, said Stat, “The fact that 78 percent of ‘recovered’ [patients] Evidence of continuous cardiac involvement means that the heart is involved in most patients, even if COVID-19 disease does not scream with classic cardiac symptoms, such as anginal chest pain. “
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Healthcare worker listening to patient’s heart during a coronavirus pandemic
In a recent article, JAMA Cardiology editors Clyde W. Yancy, MD, and Gregg C. Fonarow, MD, cites this new study as evidence that “see the thickening of the plot. “They write:” We are inclined to raise a new and very apparent concern that COVID-19-related cardiomyopathy and heart failure may potentially evolve as the natural history of this infection becomes clear. “
Unfortunately, while the new German study started answering some questions, it also opened the door for even more inquiries. “The question now is how long do these changes persist?” cardiologist Matthew Tomey, MD, who was not involved in the study, said Stat. “Will they become chronic effects on the heart or are they, we hope, temporary effects on heart function that will gradually improve over time?”
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As experts continue to study COVID-19 and its lasting effects, we hope to find those answers. And for more information on how COVID-19 affects the heart, see Most patients with coronavirus have serious damage to this vital organ.
Video: New Study Shows Some COVID-19 Symptoms More Likely to Progress into Serious Complications (CBS Los Angeles)
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