Story at a glance

  • One study found 78 percent of recovered COVID-19 patients showed evidence of heart damage in MRIs.
  • The research showed 76 patients displayed cardiac injury comparable to what is observed in someone who has suffered a heart attack and 60 patients showed signs of inflammation.
  • A second study that analyzed autopsy results from 39 people who died from COVID-19 found 24 had high levels of the virus in their hearts.

A pair of studies published Monday suggest COVID-19 patients may suffer long-lasting heart problems after recovering from the disease, adding to growing evidence the coronavirus may have a devastating effect on the vital organ. 

In one study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Cardiology, scientists at the University Hospital Frankfurt examined the cardiac MRIs of 100 people who had recovered from COVID-19 and compared them to the heart images from 100 people who were not infected with the virus. Participants underwent MRI evaluations two to three months after being diagnosed with COVID-19. 

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Out of the 100 COVID-19 patients in the study, researchers found 78 patients - with a median age of 49 - showed signs of cardiac abnormalities. The research showed 76 patients displayed cardiac injury comparable to what is observed in someone who has suffered a heart attack and 60 patients showed signs of inflammation. Researchers said two-thirds of the patients had recovered at home and many did not suspect they had anything wrong with their hearts. 

"The fact that 78 % of 'recovered' [patients] had evidence of ongoing heart involvement means that the heart is involved in a majority of patients, even if COVID-19 illness does not scream out with the classical heart symptoms, such as anginal chest pain," Valentina Puntmann, who led the study, told STAT News. 

The second study analyzed autopsy results from 39 people who died from COVID-19 whose average age was 85. The official cause of death for most of the patients was pneumonia brought on by COVID-19. 

The analysis found high levels of the virus in the hearts of 24 of the patients, and in some of the patients, the virus was observed to be replicating itself in the tissue surrounding the heart muscle. 

BREAKING NEWS ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

COUNTRIES LED BY WOMEN HAVE FARED BETTER AGAINST CORONAVIRUS. WHY?

MORE THAN 8.7 MILLION CORONAVIRUS CASES WENT UNDETECTED IN MARCH

EXPERTS: 90% OF CORONAVIRUS DEATHS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED

FAUCI PREDICTS ANOTHER CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK IN THE FALL WITH A 'VERY DIFFERENT' OUTCOME

 

Published on Jul 27, 2020