Covid-19 is a virus that has caused a great impact throughout the world. In health, it has created great questions around his recovery and what happens in the body, following the contagion has passed. One of those questions is do heart problems develop following suffering from covid-19?
The French Academy of Medicine explains that little time has passed to establish a causal relationship. “Cardiovascular clinical follow-up is essential for all people with an infection due to covid-19, even benign”, detailed this entity.
According to the Academy, covid-19 and cardiovascular diseases increase the risk of health complications. “Until now, (long-lasting) cardiovascular consequences were detected only in hospitalized patients, in small series and with a short follow-up time”he pointed.
Although there are still no concrete answers regarding the direct cardiac risks of covid-19 in people, there are some studies that point out some ideas to take into account. According to an American investigation, published in the magazine Naturethe results “point to a significant increase in cardiovascular diseases worldwide” following the coronavirus pandemic.
This study analyzed the frequency of cardiovascular problems, following a year of contagion, in more than 150,000 US Army veterans and compared them with that of other veterans who did not have covid-19. “After 30 days following infection, individuals with covid-19 are at increased risk of cardiovascular disorders”stated the study.
According to research, the risk of heart attacks, heart inflammation or stroke is lower in those who are not hospitalized. However, “it exists even in individuals who were not hospitalized.”
There are divided opinions regarding this study. Some scientists highlight the sample analyzed and the time, while there are some who are skeptical. “It is very difficult to draw any relevant conclusions” from this study, said British statistician James Doidge. According to him, there are too many biases in the methodology. One of these is the sample, since it is a very homogeneous population, which is not necessarily representative.
Although the researchers tried to correct this error, the statistician added another problem and that is that the study does not clearly establish how long following infection it is that heart conditions develop. This would completely change the context if the problems appear a month later or a year later.
For his part, cardiologist Florian Zores pointed out that there are several imperfections, but believes that the study supports the hypotheses already considered probable by many cardiologists in view of the profile of SARS-CoV-2, which, like other viruses, can cause lasting inflammation. “Inflammation has long been known to be a cardiovascular risk factor,” Zores said. “In fact, the same thing happens with the flu,” he pointed out.
Neurological damage in children
Natalia Restrepo, pediatrician and dean of the Sanitas University Foundation’s Faculty of Medicine, explains the impacts that the pandemic has had on the neurological development of children.
A fundamental aspect is the affectation in the social process. Although the isolation was effective in controlling the increase in cases of the virus, children will decrease their levels of intercommunication with other minors, thus affecting their interpersonal relationships.
At the same time, it is important to emphasize that physical activity in a child and socialization with a children’s environment must be kept constant, since it has been proven that these facts affect the mental health of the infant and with it come the psychosocial problems that impact the whole family.
In the stages following the critical situation of the covid-19 pandemic, more cases of children who began to have depressive problems at a very early age were known, which generates an alarm for its development.