COVID-19 patients may suffer heart damage

Coronavirus patients can suffer irreversible heart damage due to their battle with the disease, a study of hospital patients has found.

More than half of infected patients who had heart scans while in the hospital with Covid-19 showed abnormal changes to their organs.

One in eight had signs of ‘severe dysfunction’ in their hearts, and doctors couldn’t find any other explanation except the coronavirus.

In the UK, around one in four people admitted to hospital with Covid-19 die of it, but even survivors may be left with a long-term illness, this research suggests.

The study, done by the British Heart Foundation, adds to concerns that coronavirus can cause widespread damage to the vital organs and leaves some ‘long-haulers’ with health problems that will last for months and even years after the infection. 

Long-term effects can include coughing, shortness of breath and reduced lung capacity, and there is also evidence the virus can affect the brain and kidneys. A lung doctor who helped treat Boris Johnson said the virus is ‘this generation’s polio’.

One British Heart Foundation researcher referred to Covid-19 as a ‘multisystem disease’ that can spread all around the body.

Professor Mark Dweck, a cardiologist at the University of Edinburgh, said: ‘Covid-19 is a complex, multisystem disease that can have profound effects on many parts of the body, including the heart.

‘Many doctors have been hesitant to order echocardiograms for patients with Covid-19 because it’s an added procedure which involves close contact with patients.

‘Our work shows that these scans are important – they improved the treatment for a third of patients who received them.’

The study looked at 1,216 patients in hospitals in 69 countries around the world who had been given heart scans.