Having Covid increases risk of heart problems – blood clots, irregular heartbeat, heart attack, stroke – doctors studying long Covid warn
- Cardiovascular problems such as blood clots and high blood pressure are part of long Covid – ongoing health issues for patients who recover from having Covid-19
- They are part of the wider toll of the virus on heart health, which included a rise in heart attacks in people 40 and under in the first two years of the pandemic
American firefighter and paramedic Mike Camilleri used to have no trouble hauling heavy gear up ladders. Now, as he battles the effects of long Covid, he gingerly steps onto a treadmill to learn how his heart handles a simple walk.
“This is, like, not a tough-guy test, so don’t fake it,” warns Beth Hughes, a physical therapist at Washington University in St Louis, in the US state of Missouri.
A mild case of Covid-19 set off a chain reaction that eventually left Camilleri with dangerous blood pressure spikes, a heartbeat that raced with slight exertion, and episodes of intense chest pain.
He’s far from alone. How profound a toll Covid-19 has taken on heart health is only starting to emerge.
“We are seeing effects on the heart and the vascular system that really outnumber, unfortunately, effects on other organ systems,” says Dr Susan Cheng, a cardiologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles, California.