The second wave of Covid in April-May is taking its toll on the heart of many people who had a prolonged stay in ICUs for treatment and those who got infected with virus but already had underlying risk factor of heart diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity and family history.

Hospitals are witnessing cases of heart attacks among such patients who had survived from onslaught of Covid-19, but now they have to rush to the hospitals for emergency care.

Two days ago, Cardiological Society of India had organized a conference in which they discussed ‘Covid and Cardiovascular Diseases’. “Many studies were discussed in the conference which are quite useful. If two different persons are infected with Covid, one has risk factors for heart diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity and family history, while the other has no such complication, the chances of cardiovascular diseases are higher in the patient who has risk factors and in those who had a prolonged stay in ICUs for covid treatment,” said Dr Rajeev Bagarhatta, head of the department (cardiology), SMS Medical College.

Dr Bagarhatta further added that such patients should take care of their heart even after getting recovered from Covid-19. “We are advising such patients not to stop anticoagulants for at least six months to minimise chances of heart complication such as heart attack,” he said.

Covid-19 affects health of the heart in different ways. “Covid can decrease the pumping capacity of the heart and cause heart failure symptoms. It can also cause heart attack by causing blockage the arteries. It can also cause rhythm disturbances. It can cause sudden increase in heart rate which can lead to sudden cardiac arrest. It can also cause decrease in heart rate leading to symptoms of giddiness and syncope,” Dr Kush Kumar Bhagat, consultant (cardiology) at a private hospital.

Cardiologists advise people to get vaccination against covid-19. “People with pre-existing heart conditions need to keep in mind that Covid-19 vaccination is not a choice for them, but a necessity. As far as safety is concerned, Covid-19 vaccines are safe for all eligible age groups. To stay safe from cardiac diseases, people need to follow certain prevention methods like avoid both active and passive smoking and consumption of tobacco, maintaining a healthy weight, balanced and healthy diet, reduce and manage stress can be helpful,” said Dr Amit Kumar Singhal, senior consultant, cardiology, at a private hospital.

The possibility of having a heart attack may arise because of blood clots. In this case, the life of the patient can also be lost, shows researches. “Even after recovering from covid-19, get a heart checkup done once, so that it can be known how badly your heart has been affected due to covid,” said Dr Ankit Mathur, senior cardiac surgeon at a private hospital.