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
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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.
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“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.
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