SALT LAKE CITY – A year after the pandemic, doctors have noticed a trend: Some patients with COVID-19 come out of the disease with heart problems, and heart complications contribute to many coronavirus-related deaths.
Intermountain Healthcare said recent studies show that 20% of patients with COVID-19 may have heart problems at the end of their illness.
Travis Smith can relate.
“I’ve always assumed I’m 30 years old. I should be fine,” Smith said.
In July, Smith got the virus and it started, as you might expect, with the typical symptoms – up to one night.
“The only way I could describe that night was that it felt like my heart was trying to go between my rib cage and crawl out like that,” he said.
When he was 8 years old, Smith was diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia, or an abnormally fast heart rate. Since then, he has seen about two episodes a year. Since he had COVID-19, he has about five episodes a week.
“You hear it’s a respiratory virus, so everyone is concerned about the lungs and their breathing,” he said. “The biggest COVID factor for me is heart problems.”
Smith isn’t alone.
“It is quite clear that COVID can affect the heart in a minority or subset of patients,” says Dr. Kirk Knowlton, chief of cardiology at the Intermountain Healthcare Heart Institute.
In addition, heart complications can increase the severity of the virus and the risk of death. A recent study found that heart problems can contribute to about 40% of all coronavirus-related deaths.
“It is even more important to avoid being exposed to COVID and also to be aggressive about getting vaccinations,” Knowlton said, speaking of people with cardiovascular complications. “It’s probably the best tool we have for making sure we don’t get COVID-related heart disease.”
Knowlton also urged people with heart complications to get the medical care they need, when they need it.
“There have been too many stories of people sadly afraid of getting COVID and waiting. And either they have a heart attack or even a few have died at home,” he said. “That’s a real problem we worry a lot about is getting people to come in for treatment.”
For now, Smith’s running days are on hold. His heart just can’t take it. His cardiologist doesn’t know how long it could take.
“Unfortunately, that’s the hand I’ve been dealt lately,” he said.
Rest assured that he’ll be in a hurry to get the vaccine next week, when the first dose becomes available to those 18 and older with heart problems and other medical conditions.
“I’m pretty excited that the line has finally come to us,” he said.