Cardiac Damage Even in Mild Cases

[ClimbDad]

Two studies of COVID-19 sufferers show serious damage to the heart, even in mild and asymptomatic cases. 78% of people had damage in one study, which specifically excluded anyone who’d previously been diagnosed with a heart condition. 2/3rds of people in the study were never hospitalised with COVID19, and were classed as mild or asymptomatic cases who’d recovered at home.

“These were relatively young, healthy patients who fell ill in the spring, Valentina Puntmann, who led the MRI study, pointed out in an interview. Many of them had just returned from ski vacations. None of them thought they had anything wrong with their hearts.”

Dirk Westermann, a cardiologist at the University Heart and Vascular Centre in Hamburg, said in an interview. “We don’t know the long-term consequences of the changes in gene expression yet. I know from other diseases that it’s obviously not good to have that increased level of inflammation.”

Taken together, the two studies, published Monday in JAMA Cardiology, suggest that in many patients, Covid-19 could presage heart failure, a chronic, progressive condition in which the heart’s ability to pump blood throughout the body declines. It is too soon to say if the damage in patients recovering from Covid-19 is transient or permanent, but cardiologists are worried.“

78%, not 1%, not even 7%. 78% with heart problems. These complications are not rare. I don’t understand why so many people on MN are willing to gamble their long-term health and the health of friends and family.

If schools are to open with normal class sizes in September, students and teachers must wear masks. The long-term human and economic cost of this virus is only just starting to become clear. We need to do everything possible to minimise transmission.

www.statnews.com/2020/07/27/covid19-concerns-about-lasting-heart-damage/

What’s the point in these posts aimed at frightening the crap out of people? It’s not like people are choosing to do COVID like smoking and drinking....

I clicked on this knowing exactly who the op would be.

Can you post the scientific research papers for your posts please, not news sites, so people can make rational and balanced assessments. Thanks.

They say themselves that the damage may be transient.

Other illnesses may do the same, but no one is looking.

The novel nature of covid 19 means there'll be more funding and research opportunities about.

choosing to do COVID

"They say themselves that the damage maybe transient" that's OK then I'll stop worrying that at 4 months post Covid I still can't walk upstairs. Phew!

Responses like thet from @Kitcat122 are why scientists are exasperated by the lack of public understanding.

Critical thinking and a basic understanding of reasearch and scientific methods should not be beyond most people who have been educated from 4-18.

It's such an insular, self obsessed, knee jerk response.

And actually, if you must make it personal, if it's transient you might be fine and dandy next week. Yay you!

@NewNewt

Can you post the scientific research papers for your posts please, not news sites, so people can make rational and balanced assessments. Thanks.

Sure. I think STAT, one of the world’s leading medical and pharma news outlets is reasonably balanced, but here’s the paper.

jamanetwork.com/journals/jamacardiology/fullarticle/2768916

@lousleftkneelies

What’s the point in these posts aimed at frightening the crap out of people? It’s not like people are choosing to do COVID like smoking and drinking....

If facts are scary, it might be because we’re living through a pandemic.

@ClimbDad Almost certainly transient in most cases. Stop posting inaccurate, scaremongering thread headlines. It's soooooooo Daily Express.

I think you must be a teacher (which is rather worrying) as you seem obsessed with kids and teachers wearing face masks.

I suggest meditation might help with your health anxiety.

@lughnasadh my point was a knee jerk reaction you are correct and yes it is very personal to me. I just get upset when so many people are so flippant regarding Covid. Hopefully most people will have no long term effects but alot of people do and I wouldn't wish it on anyone it's very scary. I have gone from fit, healthy exercise freak to invalid. Yes I hope I am better next week, we will see.

I've reported the thread as the headline is just false.

Actually, it's not false, Dr Xand Van Tulleken (one of the Operation Ouch twins, and on telly a lot during lockdown) has permitted broadcast of treatment for his cardiac complication, and he had a fairly standard case of Covid. He's 41 with no underlying conditions.

He's now fine on medication

But you said it yourself.........HE'S FINE NOW

Yes, stable on medication, and further investigations will be taking place in case he needs an operation.

The possibility of lengthy debilitating illness (there's a long running support thread for MNers who have found themselves in that position) and/or complications (mainly compromise to heart, lung and kidney function) isn't really discussed much in the mainstream media.

I don't understand the aversion to what the poster has stated.
I mean, isn't it common knowledge that many viruses lead to long-term compications, cancer being the most common outcome of all? Covid is likely a vascular disease. It is going to damage the heart. If you don't want to read about this, you don't have to.
As we went into lockdown, I was blue-lighted after collapsing on the street with a heart attack (cardiac arrest, even- that was fun, not that I remember it). I am a non-smoking, non-drinking, cycling, dog walking, healthy 48-year-old woman. Why did I develop inflammation which led to an artery tear which then formed a flap of skin blocking my artery 100% bringing about a heart attack and cardiac arrest? Was it COVID, my cardiologist (didn't have one of those in my life a few months ago) is now wondering? I wasn't tested at the time because in March, the idea of it being a blood vessel disease hadn't become a way of thinking. I'll be taking an antibody test and it will be interesting to see the results. It is likely that this isn't COVID related but it's worth exploring.

@ClimbDad is only trying to highlight that schools need to be safer. If you don't agree you don't have to read the posts.

If you don't agree you don't have to read the posts. This is a huge part of what's going wrong in education and society in general.

A tendancy to read/seek out only opinions you agree with. A horror of rigour in discussion, and dissent. A need to shut down voices with other interpretations.

It isn't good to turn a blind eye to the other side, to counter arguments, and new ideas.

You should read, and understand, and evaluate as many viewpoints, facts, outlooks and opinions as you can.

But then apply logic, common sense, critical thinking, and at least a basic understanding of statistical analysis.

What's with the low-level bullying of a poster writing down some fact-based information? Go back inside your echo chamber if you don't want to read a different point of view.

@lughnasadh I articulated myself badly different options and objectives are important I meant the comment to the posters that just write an abusive comment.

You don’t need to read the thread, the article or the research paper if you find it scaremongering. The title is clear, it’s on a thread in the Coronavirus section of the Health topic - you kind of have to search it out so don’t be surprised once here if you find there’s some negative stories.
Personally, in a pandemic, I want to learn as much as possible at the risks me & my family are being asked to take when resuming normal life & returning to school.
Everyone is fixing on ‘transient’ - it actually says ‘it’s too early to say if transient or permanent’. It certainly doesn’t say probably or highly likely to be transient, which appears to be how some posters are reading it.
You may read this & think the risk of ‘possibly transient’ heart damage in almost 8/10 cases is low. Others may read it differently. But I certainly don’t think it’s fear mongering to share this information.

@MarcelineMissouri

I clicked on this knowing exactly who the op would be.

Me too, only opened it to check!

@Kitcat122 I do seem to have made it look as though I'm getting at you personally.

Actually your responses have been totally fair, and reasonable.

I'm sorry you're still unwell. My son has coeliac disease, and seems to suffer more from everything he catches than the rest of us, so I do worry for him and others.

I just have a scientist's soul, if such a thing exists , and hate scaremongering (à la OP)