06/17/2021 12:28 PM
Clarín.com
Good Life
Updated 06/17/2021 1:06 PM
More than a year and a half after the start of the pandemic, there are many lessons learned, one of them is that the coronavirus is not only a respiratory disease, but a multisystemic one, which can generate aggression and damage to various organs, even after the infection is overcome. .
The heart is one of the most affected.
This morning, the River player Leonardo Ponzio was diagnosed with myocarditis, one of the most frequent heart conditions associated with covid.
"In some cases, even despite having passed the disease with mild symptoms,
lesions
can be found
in the myocardial fibers
caused by their inflammation and related to the viral episode called myocarditis", explained to
Clarín
Mario Boskis, member of the Argentine Society of Cardiology (SAC) and coordinator of the scientific councils of the institution.
"In general, myocarditis is a reversible condition, but in many cases it can give
symptoms for weeks
, which are manifested with chest pains, a feeling of shortness of breath, palpitations or exaggerated fatigue. In these cases, a medical consultation is essential. early, since early treatment must be established to avoid complications ", warned the professional.
And he stressed that "it is important not to do physical activity until the condition has subsided and it is determined that the inflammation has disappeared. Many times this condition
can persist between 3 to 6 months
."
Also in the young
Young people, he said, are not exempt from suffering cardiac complications from the coronavirus. "Although in general, most of them have a rather benign disease, a recent study published in the journal JAMA found that of a population of 3,000 patients between 18 and 34 years of age, who contracted Covid, 21% had to be admitted to the ICU, especially those who suffered from obesity, diabetes or high blood pressure as a concomitant disease, "he stressed in a recent interview with Clarín.
"Inflammation of the heart, called myocarditis, is a potentially fatal complication, and multiple case reports have been published. The exact mechanism is currently unknown, but recent findings suggest that it appears to be the result of direct infection by the virus that attacks the heart. or possibly as a consequence of the inflammation triggered by the
excessively aggressive immune response
of the body ", explain in an article published by the Cardiovascular Institute of Buenos Aires (ICBA) cardiologists Mirta Diez and Lucrecia María Burgos (MN 148,752), members of the service of heart failure, pulmonary hypertension and heart transplantation from that institution.
"Any cardiac sequelae that persists weeks or months after infection is
clearly worrisome
, and we are seeing more evidence for this. One study evaluated 100 patients recently infected with COVID-19 with cardiac MRI, most of the patients recovered in At home, the severity of the disease ranged from asymptomatic to mild to moderate symptoms. The authors reported cardiac involvement in 78% of the patients and active heart inflammation in 60%, "pointed out Diez and Burgos.
Background in soccer
Myocarditis can cause significant damage to the heart and, rarely, sudden cardiac death if left untreated.
"Myocarditis and other types of heart injuries
affect young people, such as athletes,
" warns Leslie Cooper, director of the Department of Cardiology at the Mayo Clinic in the United States, in an article published by the institution.
In Argentine soccer, there is a history of myocarditis associated with Covid-19.
Edwin Cardona (from Boca), Paulo Díaz (also from River) and Lucas Barrios (former Gymnastics and now in Defense and Justice) were diagnosed with the same picture.
Check-ups
Once the coronavirus infection is over, it is advisable to carry out
at least one medical check-up
to assess the state of health, even in patients who have not undergone complications.
"In those suspected of having a Covid-19-related heart injury, tests are needed, including a
blood troponin test
that reveals if there are damaged cells in the heart muscle and an electrocardiogram (ECG) that shows whether the conduction system of the heart is compromised or if there is damage to the heart muscle. In those who show symptoms of cardiac involvement and have an abnormal result on these tests, further evaluation should be done, "Cooper warned.
"In case of finding abnormalities in these studies, we must complete with a more advanced evaluation that may include performing a cardiac echo-Doppler, to be able to evaluate the pumping function of the heart, and determine if there was any aggression to it; a holter monitor 24-hour electrocardiogram, which consists of recording the electrical function of the heart during a full day (outside the office) to detect the presence of arrhythmias, an echo-venous to detect the presence of clots and a
heart MRI
to monitor the a myocarditis, "said Boskis.
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