Over the weekend, South Korea reported its first case of a heart disease that linked to the Covid-19 infection, suggesting that the dreaded virus could cause a wider spectrum of complications than just respiratory distress.
In fact, entry receptors are not just found in the lungs, but also in the kidneys, gastrointestinal tract and heart-which is why SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid-19 can cause inflammation in organs other than the lungs, said Dr. Kim Woo-joo of Korea University Hospital in Guro, reports the Star.
The case was a 21-year-old woman from Daegu, who had no preexisting medical conditions suffered from acute myocarditis (heart inflammation) due to Covid-19. Daegu is Korea’s worst infected city, Daegu, amounts for 64% of the nation’s total number of infections.
While the patient only showed the typical symptoms of cough, sore throat, fever and diarrhea initially, she started experiencing severe breathing difficulties and had to be taken to Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital just three days after being diagnosed with the virus. The MRI, X-ray and CT images revealed a worrying development: signs of infections were apparent in the lungs, as well as the heart, said Dr.Kim In-cheol, the cardiologist who treated her.
“Her chest scans revealed an enlarged heart and patterns of viral pneumonia, such as ground-glass opacities, ” said the cardiologist. Her heart’s ability to pump blood had already been compromised and she had to spend an entire month in hospitalisation, a quarter of that time was spent in the ICU.
Although she has since recovered, the extent of cardiac damage from the virus may prove lasting, said the cardiologist. And sadly, this young girl is just one of the many who have demonstrated similar signs of heart damage. According to Dr.Kim In-cheol, close to half of the severely infected patients treated at his hospital exhibited symptoms of heart issues from the virus. The fatality rate for these patients were also reportedly higher.
Heart damage in patients were detected using highly sensitive methods such as scanning levels of a protein known as, troponin, in the blood-a biomaker of myocardial injury. “People with heart conditions are at increased risk of a severe Covid-19 infection,” said Dr.Kim In-cheol.
“In the worst of cases, a patient dies from multi-organ system failure after developing not just pneumonia but heart, kidney, gastrointestinal problems, ” said infectious disease specialist, Dr.Kim Woo-joo. Nonetheless, Covod-19 symptoms are largely present within the respiratory system and it remains unclear whether the virus is more deadly towards the heart.
The information in this story is accurate as of press time. However, as the situation surrounding COVID-19 continues to evolve, it’s possible that some data have changed since publication. While WORLD OF BUZZ is trying to keep our stories as up-to-date as possible, we also encourage readers to stay informed on news and recommendations through other sources.
Hopefully a vaccine for this virus is developed soon. Stay safe, guys!
Also read: China’s Covid-19 Post-Mortem Reports Show That Virus Can Stay In Lungs Despite Death
