A surge in respiratory viruses, including COVID-19 and influenza, continues to spread across the United States, and experts warn it could lead to an increase in cardiovascular complications. .
According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were currently 32,861 people hospitalized due to COVID-19 for the week ending January 13, which is lower than the previous week but still on the same level as January 2023. It is equivalent to
Similarly, the number of weekly hospitalizations due to influenza was 14,874, down from the previous week but comparable to November 2023 levels, the data showed.
Many Americans may think that complications from respiratory illnesses are limited to sinusitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, and other illnesses that affect the upper or lower respiratory tract.
But Dr. Deepak Bhatt, president of Mount Sinai Faster Heart Hospital in New York City, said there are two ways these infections can lead to heart disease.
“The more common pathway is someone becomes seriously ill with something like the flu, develops a high fever, becomes dehydrated, or is hospitalized with complications from the flu,” he told ABC News. “That’s the setting for having heart problems.”
Fever and dehydration can increase a patient’s heart rate, which can be very dangerous, especially for patients with heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. Additionally, respiratory infections can cause inflammation, which can cause plaque in the blood to form blood clots, a potential trigger for a heart attack.
“Inflammation is the result of serious infections, including infections such as influenza and the novel coronavirus, which can cause inflammation at the site of plaque buildup within the heart arteries, which can accelerate plaque rupture. It’s possible,” Butt said. “In other words, flowing blood is exposed to its fat and cholesterol internal contents, and when that happens, blood clots form, and if they completely block the artery, it can cause a heart attack.”
Another pathway, more direct but rare, is myocarditis. This is inflammation of the heart muscle that usually occurs after a viral infection.
Myocarditis can cause arrhythmia, which is a fast or abnormal heartbeat. It can also cause cardiomyopathy, which weakens the heart muscle and affects the heart’s ability to pump blood effectively.
Additionally, in rare circumstances, myocarditis can lead to heart failure and cardiogenic shock (another condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs), even in healthy patients. there is.
These symptoms are more likely to affect older adults, people with known heart disease, or people with multiple cardiovascular risk factors, but if you are aware that you are at risk, Butt said some people may not have done so.
“One of the challenges with heart disease is that not everyone knows they have heart disease,” he says. “So there are people walking around with heart disease, but they haven’t been diagnosed yet because they’re not showing any symptoms.”
“But the stressors of a really serious illness, like the flu, can unmask something that has been there all along but has been sitting there silently,” he continued.
Butt urges anyone who hasn’t yet gotten vaccinated against influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus for seniors to get vaccinated now.
CDC data shows vaccination lags As of Friday, just 21.5% of adults 18 and older had received an up-to-date COVID-19 vaccine, and 46.7% had received their flu shot. . Additionally, only 2.1% of adults over 60 have received the RSV vaccine.
More importantly, if someone is sick and has severe chest pain or shortness of breath, they should call their doctor or 911, regardless of whether they have an underlying medical condition or risk factors, he said.
“If someone is having significant chest discomfort or chest symptoms that are worsening particularly rapidly, it may simply be because they have a bad cold, the flu, or the coronavirus. Don’t assume it’s because you’re infected with the disease,” Bhatt said. “Calling 911 is always the right thing to do.”
