COVID increases the risk of heart attacks and stroke by 55 per cent, a new study claims.
US researchers found people infected with the virus had a greater chance of developing deadly heart disease.
Background with viruses – the concept of microbiology and virologyGetty
They were also more likely to get other heart problems including an irregular heartbeat and myocarditis — when the muscle becomes inflamed.
Professor Andrew Marks, of Columbia University in New York, said: “The more awareness you build around particular aspects of a disease, the more likely you are to improve the care of patients.
“And doctors should be aware of heart changes related to Covid-19 infections and should be looking for them.
“We want to really figure out what’s causing the heart disease and how to fix it.”
Latest data show Covid infections jumped a fifth to 1.1million on any given day in the week up to February 7.
While immunity from vaccination and natural infection mean less people are suffering severe Covid, hospitalisations breached 900 on February 13 and continue to tick upwards.
Experts have long feared the virus can cause problems with the heart, with studies showing it can cause the body’s own immune system to attack healthy cells in the muscle.
Patients with severe Covid also get less oxygen in their bloodstream, forcing the heart to work harder to pump blood around the body and risking heart failure.
The latest study is set to be presented at the 67th Annual Biophysical Society Meeting in San Diego, California, on Monday.
Researchers studied heart tissue in Covid patients who had died with the virus.
Patients’ hearts had higher levels of inflammation and unstable levels of calcium, which is needed to allow the muscle to contract.
When the heart has too little calcium, it can cause heart failure and irregular heartbeats.
They also looked at mice infected with Covid to see how it changed compared to those without the virus.
What are the symptoms of Covid?
Symptoms of coronavirus in adults can include:
a high temperature or shivering (chills) – a high temperature means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours
a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
shortness of breath
feeling tired or exhausted
an aching body
a headache
a sore throat
a blocked or runny nose
loss of appetite
diarrhoea
feeling sick or being sick
Source: The NHS
They measured blood clots, build-ups of collagen — suggesting damage — and also heart cell death.
The infected mice had markers for cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle that can make it harder for the heart to pump blood to the body and can lead to heart failure.
The team said understanding what was causing the heart problems at a molecular level would help lead to new drugs tailored to Covid patients.
They added it would help governments guide people more likely to suffer heart conditions during the pandemic.