According to news reports, six people died of heart attacks while performing garba at community functions in Gujarat. These also include a woman and a teenager. Apart from this, 22 more people died due to heart attack during this period in the state. In fact, according to data shared by the 108 ambulance service, around 750 cardiac emergency calls were made between October 15 and October 22, 2023. State Health Minister Rushikesh Patel said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has linked the deaths to it. Diligence after the Covid battle.
“ICMR has conducted a detailed study. According to this study, people who are suffering from severe Covid-19 infection should not exercise excessively. They should stay away from hard workouts, running and strenuous exercise for a short period of time, say a year or two, to avoid heart attacks,” he was quoted as saying.
Relationship between heart attack and Covid-19
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya recently cited the same ICMR study to say that people should avoid pushing the limits of physical activity for some time after Covid.
There have been several studies that show a link between heart diseases and COVID-19 and list it as one of the biggest long-term effects of the coronavirus. A study published in Nature Medicine talks about the long-term, cardiovascular effects of COVID-19. The study said that for a year after the first 30 days of infection, people who suffered from Covid-19 had an increased risk of heart diseases.
Another study published in The Scientist examined how athletes experienced heart damage after COVID-19. The study found players experienced inflammation in the heart, the result of a condition called myocarditis., Which can lead to sudden cardiac arrest.
How does Covid affect the heart?
Dr. Bipin Dubey, HOD and Consultant Cardiac Sciences, HCMCT Manipal Hospital, Dwarka, explains that a large section of people who are infected with Covid are experiencing various heart problems. They say that this happens because the blood vessels in their body have an increased tendency to form clots and this leads to a heart attack.
“About 15-20 percent of COVID-19 patients are experiencing heart-related problems. The most common heart problem is heart attack because of the increased tendency of blood vessels to form clots. This means that the arteries that send blood and oxygen to the heart become blocked, causing a heart attack. In a minority of patients (3-5%), Covid directly affects the heart muscle, causing weakness in the heart muscle and leading to heart failure, called Covid-induced cardiomyopathy,” he says. Are.
This is a big danger for those who already have heart problems. “Patients who already have blockages in their coronary arteries are more likely to develop blockages in their coronary arteries, leading to a heart attack,” he says.
However, he adds that even without any prior history of heart disease, a heart attack can occur as a post-Covid complication. “In some cases, even without previous blockages, normal coronary arteries become blocked due to Covid. Therefore, the incidence includes both cardiomyopathy and heart attack incidence, which is between 15-20%,” he says.
How to avoid heart attack after Covid-19?
According to Dr. Pratik Chaudhary, Consultant Interventional Cardiology, Asian Hospital, here are some basic and practical steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of heart attack.
- Maintain a healthy lifestyle by having a balanced and nutritious diet along with regular physical exercise.
- Stay away from smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.
- Manage underlying health conditions appropriately and stay informed about COVID prevention guidelines and vaccination.
- Get regular medical checkups done and manage heart related problems accordingly.
- Practice stress management techniques like meditation to take care of your mental health and prioritize overall well-being.
Other common side effects of Covid
According to a study published in Scientific Reports, the most common after-effects of Covid are fatigue, headaches, attention disorders, hair loss and shortness of breath, which refers to a condition where you feel like you have run out of air. And one experiences discomfort in breathing. , The study also included neurological diseases like dementia, depression, anxiety, attention disorders, along with other side effects like lung disease, cough, chest discomfort, sleep apnea and pulmonary fibrosis, which are also common post-Covid.
