Preliminary research reveals that about 80% of patients with the virus will experience heart problems • To date, most studies have focused on respiratory problems caused by the disease • "Actual findings that require preparation of the medical system"
Corona inspection at Düsseldorf airport in Germany, this week // Illustration photo: AP
78% of patients infected with the corona virus have damaged their hearts at various levels due to the disease, according to a preliminary study published in Germany. The study, which was conducted on 100 patients who recovered from the disease, also shows that 60% also had myocarditis.
It can be learned from the study, published in the scientific journal Jama, that the medical world has only partial information about the virus, and that the damage it causes may be much broader than is currently known. The study is closely monitored by the relevant authorities in Germany, and it does not indicate the general level of damage in the population, but it was performed using MRI scans and an advanced set of tests that also included a control group of healthy people of the examined patients.
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Researchers from the University of Frankfurt in Germany conducted the study, led by Dr. Valentina Fontman, following reports that the virus causes damage to the heart and blood vessels, such as clots in various blood vessels and damage to veins and arteries in the body.
According to the researchers, most of the studies done on the corona focused on breathing problems and lung damage caused by the disease, but after findings were published that the blood and heart systems are also affected by the virus, they decided to conduct the study. "This is just the beginning and now much broader research is needed," they said. They noted that the tests were done among patients aged 18 and over with symptoms, and not among children or people who were found to be positive for the disease but did not actually get it.
These preliminary results are also supported by an article written by two American doctors, Dr. Clyde Jansey of Northwestern University in Chicago and Dr. Greg Ponarov of the University of California, Los Angeles. The two reviewed the findings before publishing them, noting that they raise the real concern that corona is a disease that has effects on the heart. "It is very possible that such problems will appear in the future among patients who have recovered. These are not theoretical concerns, but actual findings that require an in-depth examination and preparation of the medical system," they concluded.