The effects of COVID-19 can be subtle and easily confused with common colds or flu, particularly as widespread vaccination and previous infections have generally reduced symptom severity. However, a crucial distinction lies in the virus's potential to silently harm the cardiovascular system.&nbsp;

A recent study by American scientists, published last week, tracked 10,000 individuals in the UK who contracted COVID-19 during the initial pandemic wave. The research revealed that these individuals faced double the risk of heart attack, stroke, or death in the subsequent three years compared to those who remained uninfected. For patients whose Covid-19 case required hospitalisation, this risk increased fourfold.&nbsp;

<h3 lang="EN-US" paraeid="{4675df41-5728-459c-8c65-bcb532d627f7}{31}" paraid="1482061686" >Pre-vaccination cases&nbsp;</h3>

Although these findings primarily pertain to early pandemic infections, before vaccine availability, they have raised significant concerns among medical experts. This is despite the study's focus on pre-vaccination cases. &nbsp;

“The problem is that the heart simply cannot repair itself, so any damage is there for life,” says Angela Clerk, a professor of biomedical sciences at the University of Reading, according to The Telegraph. She added, “It is also a robust organ that tends to not give much indication it is failing until it is too late, so, in my view, it could be many years before we can assess how much additional damage was done to people’s hearts by the Covid pandemic.”&nbsp;

<h3 lang="EN-US" paraeid="{a84ffae7-0ce6-453c-b2af-e852fb095d67}{48}" paraid="1248326990" >Are you at risk of a heart attack if you’ve had Covid?&nbsp;&nbsp;</h3>

Recent research indicates that a COVID-19 infection might elevate the risk of heart attacks for up to three years post-infection. The virus is known to affect the heart through various mechanisms.&nbsp;

One way Covid-19 can impact cardiovascular health is by causing abnormal blood clotting. Prof Jon Gibbins, from the University of Reading's Institute for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research, explains that this may be due to antibodies inadvertently triggering unnecessary clotting.&nbsp;

Another concern is myocarditis, or heart inflammation, which affects approximately one in eight hospitalised Covid patients. This condition can result from the virus directly attacking heart muscle cells or from an overactive immune response to the infection. Severe cases of myocarditis may increase vulnerability to heart attacks.&nbsp;

Severe Covid infections can damage the lungs, forcing the heart to work harder to oxygenate blood. Prof Clerk notes that while the heart can adapt short-term, prolonged stress may lead to heart failure.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-people-in-the-north-might-be-staring-at-a-tripledemic-heres-what-it-means-768949">People in the north might be staring at a 'tripledemic'. Here's what it means</a>

<h3 lang="EN-US" paraeid="{4675df41-5728-459c-8c65-bcb532d627f7}{114}" paraid="114161104" >How to protect your heart?&nbsp;</h3>

It's important to note that most Covid cases are asymptomatic or mild, with no known long-term complications. To protect heart health, Prof Clerk recommends adopting a healthy lifestyle. This includes quitting smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, managing stress, and moderating alcohol consumption. She emphasises the importance of heart care, stating, "You have only one heart that has to last your lifetime, so you need to look after it."&nbsp;

The effects of COVID-19 can be subtle and easily confused with common colds or flu, particularly as widespread vaccination and previous infections have generally reduced symptom severity.

The effects of COVID-19 can be subtle and easily confused with common colds or flu, particularly as widespread vaccination and previous infections have generally reduced symptom severity. However, a crucial distinction lies in the virus's potential to silently harm the cardiovascular system. A recent study by American scientists, published last week, tracked 10,000 individuals in the UK who contracted COVID-19 during the initial pandemic wave. The research revealed that these individuals faced double the risk of heart attack, stroke, or death in the subsequent three years compared to those who remained uninfected. For patients whose Covid-19 case required hospitalisation, this risk increased fourfold. Pre-vaccination cases Although these findings primarily pertain to early pandemic infections, before vaccine availability, they have raised significant concerns among medical experts. This is despite the study's focus on pre-vaccination cases. “The problem is that the heart simply cannot repair itself, so any damage is there for life,” says Angela Clerk, a professor of biomedical sciences at the University of Reading, according to The Telegraph. She added, “It is also a robust organ that tends to not give much indication it is failing until it is too late, so, in my view, it could be many years before we can assess how much additional damage was done to people’s hearts by the Covid pandemic.” Are you at risk of a heart attack if you’ve had Covid? Recent research indicates that a COVID-19 infection might elevate the risk of heart attacks for up to three years post-infection. The virus is known to affect the heart through various mechanisms. One way Covid-19 can impact cardiovascular health is by causing abnormal blood clotting. Prof Jon Gibbins, from the University of Reading's Institute for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research, explains that this may be due to antibodies inadvertently triggering unnecessary clotting. Another concern is myocarditis, or heart inflammation, which affects approximately one in eight hospitalised Covid patients. This condition can result from the virus directly attacking heart muscle cells or from an overactive immune response to the infection. Severe cases of myocarditis may increase vulnerability to heart attacks. Severe Covid infections can damage the lungs, forcing the heart to work harder to oxygenate blood. Prof Clerk notes that while the heart can adapt short-term, prolonged stress may lead to heart failure. Also read: People in the north might be staring at a 'tripledemic'. Here's what it means How to protect your heart? It's important to note that most Covid cases are asymptomatic or mild, with no known long-term complications. To protect heart health, Prof Clerk recommends adopting a healthy lifestyle. This includes quitting smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, managing stress, and moderating alcohol consumption. She emphasises the importance of heart care, stating, "You have only one heart that has to last your lifetime, so you need to look after it."

Is the risk of heart attack more severe for those infected with Covid?

Scientists have identified persistent damage in the lungs of COVID-19 patients at least three months after they were discharged from the hospital, and for some patients even longer.

This damage was not detected by routine CT scans and clinical tests, and the patients would consequently normally be told their lungs are normal, according to the researchers at the universities of Sheffield and Oxford in the UK.

The study, published in the journal Radiology, also shows that patients not hospitalised with COVID-19 but who experience long-term breathlessness may have similar damage in their lungs.

However, the researchers said a larger study is needed to confirm this.

They noted that hyperpolarised xenon MRI (XeMRI) scans had found abnormalities in the lungs of some COVID-19 patients more than three months -- and in some cases, nine months -- after leaving the hospital when other clinical measurements were normal.

"The findings of the study are very interesting,” said Professor Jim Wild from the University of Sheffield.

The 129Xe MRI is pinpointing the parts of the lung where the physiology of oxygen uptake is impaired due to long-standing effects of COVID-19 on the lungs, even though they often look normal on CT scans.

"Many COVID-19 patients are still experiencing breathlessness several months after being discharged from hospital, despite their CT scans indicating that their lungs are functioning normally," said Professor Fergus Gleeson, the study's principal investigator at Oxford.

"Our follow-up scans using hyperpolarised xenon MRI have found that abnormalities not normally visible on regular scans are indeed present, and these abnormalities are preventing oxygen getting into the bloodstream as it should in all parts of the lungs," Gleeson said.

The study has now begun testing patients who were not hospitalised with COVID-19 but who have been attending long COVID clinics.

"Although we are currently only talking about early findings, the XeMRI scans of non-hospitalised patients who are breathless -- and 70 per cent of our local patients with Long COVID do experience breathlessness --may have similar abnormalities in their lungs," Gleeson explained.

"We need a larger study to identify how common this is and how long it will take to get better," he added.

Scientists have identified persistent damage in the lungs of COVID-19 patients at least three months after they were discharged from the hospital, and for some patients even longer.

Scientists have identified persistent damage in the lungs of COVID-19 patients at least three months after they were discharged from the hospital, and for some patients even longer. This damage was not detected by routine CT scans and clinical tests, and the patients would consequently normally be told their lungs are normal, according to the researchers at the universities of Sheffield and Oxford in the UK. The study, published in the journal Radiology, also shows that patients not hospitalised with COVID-19 but who experience long-term breathlessness may have similar damage in their lungs. However, the researchers said a larger study is needed to confirm this. They noted that hyperpolarised xenon MRI (XeMRI) scans had found abnormalities in the lungs of some COVID-19 patients more than three months -- and in some cases, nine months -- after leaving the hospital when other clinical measurements were normal. "The findings of the study are very interesting,” said Professor Jim Wild from the University of Sheffield. The 129Xe MRI is pinpointing the parts of the lung where the physiology of oxygen uptake is impaired due to long-standing effects of COVID-19 on the lungs, even though they often look normal on CT scans. "Many COVID-19 patients are still experiencing breathlessness several months after being discharged from hospital, despite their CT scans indicating that their lungs are functioning normally," said Professor Fergus Gleeson, the study's principal investigator at Oxford. "Our follow-up scans using hyperpolarised xenon MRI have found that abnormalities not normally visible on regular scans are indeed present, and these abnormalities are preventing oxygen getting into the bloodstream as it should in all parts of the lungs," Gleeson said. The study has now begun testing patients who were not hospitalised with COVID-19 but who have been attending long COVID clinics. "Although we are currently only talking about early findings, the XeMRI scans of non-hospitalised patients who are breathless -- and 70 per cent of our local patients with Long COVID do experience breathlessness --may have similar abnormalities in their lungs," Gleeson explained. "We need a larger study to identify how common this is and how long it will take to get better," he added.

COVID-19 may cause long-term lung damage: Study

Ninety per cent of a sample group of coronavirus-recovered patients from a prominent hospital in China's Wuhan city where the pandemic broke out have reported lung damage and five per cent of them are again in quarantine after testing positive for the virus, according to a media report on Wednesday.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/global-coronavirus-deaths-exceed-700000-one-person-dies-every-15-seconds-on-average-318343" hreflang="en">Global coronavirus deaths exceed 700,000, one person dies every 15 seconds on average</a>

A team at the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University led by Peng Zhiyong, director of the hospital's Intensive Care Unit, has been conducting follow-up visits with '100 recovered patients' since April.

The first phase of this one-year programme finished in July. The average age of the patients in the study is 59.

According to the first phase results, 90 per cent of the patients' lungs are still in a damaged state, which means their lungs ventilation and gas exchange functions have not recovered to the level of healthy people, state-run Global Times reported.

Peng's team conducted a six-minute walking test with the patients. They found that the recovered patients could only walk 400 metres in six minutes while their healthy peers could walk 500 metres in the same period.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/latin-america-now-has-worlds-highest-coronavirus-death-toll-318236" hreflang="en">Latin America now has world's highest coronavirus death toll</a>

Some recovered patients have to rely on oxygen machines even three months after being discharged from the hospital, Liang Tengxiao, a doctor from the Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, was quoted as saying by the report.

Liang's team is also conducting follow-up visits with recovered patients aged above 65.

The results also showed that antibodies against the novel coronavirus in 10 per cent of the 100 patients have disappeared.

Five per cent of them received negative results in COVID-19 nucleic acid tests but positive results in Immunoglobulin M (IgM) tests, and thus have to be quarantined again, the report said.

IgM is usually the first antibody produced by the immune system when a virus attacks. A positive result in an IgM test usually means that a person has just been infected by the virus.

It is still unclear if this means these people have been infected again.

The 100 patients' immune systems have not fully recovered as they showed a low level of B cells -- - a primary force for killing viruses in the human body -- but a high level of T cells which only recognise viral antigens outside infected cells.

"The results revealed that the patients' immune systems are still recovering," Peng said.

The patients also suffered depression and a sense of stigma. Most of the recovered patients told the team that their families were not willing to have dinner with them at the same table, the report said.

Less than half of the recovered patients have returned to work, it said.

The findings are significant as the coronavirus first emerged in Wuhan city.

Hubei province for which Wuhan is the provincial capital has reported a total of 68,138 confirmed COVID-19 cases till now. The disease has claimed 4,512 lives in the province, according to the official data.

China reported 27 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, including 22 locally-transmitted cases, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Wednesday.

All locally-transmitted cases were reported in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the NHC said.

On Tuesday, five new imported cases were also reported. Of the cases, two were reported in Shanghai and one each in Beijing, Sichuan and Shaanxi, the commission said.

As of Tuesday, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases had reached 84,491, including 810 patients who were still being treated, with 36 in severe condition.

Altogether 79,047 people had been discharged after recovery, and 4,634 had died of the disease in the mainland, the NHC said.

Ninety per cent of a sample group of coronavirus-recovered patients from a prominent hospital in China's Wuhan city where the pandemic broke out have reported lung damage and five per cent of them are again in quarantine after testing positive for the virus, according to a media report on Wednesday.

Ninety per cent of a sample group of coronavirus-recovered patients from a prominent hospital in China's Wuhan city where the pandemic broke out have reported lung damage and five per cent of them are again in quarantine after testing positive for the virus, according to a media report on Wednesday. Also read: Global coronavirus deaths exceed 700,000, one person dies every 15 seconds on average A team at the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University led by Peng Zhiyong, director of the hospital's Intensive Care Unit, has been conducting follow-up visits with '100 recovered patients' since April. The first phase of this one-year programme finished in July. The average age of the patients in the study is 59. According to the first phase results, 90 per cent of the patients' lungs are still in a damaged state, which means their lungs ventilation and gas exchange functions have not recovered to the level of healthy people, state-run Global Times reported. Peng's team conducted a six-minute walking test with the patients. They found that the recovered patients could only walk 400 metres in six minutes while their healthy peers could walk 500 metres in the same period. Also read: Latin America now has world's highest coronavirus death toll Some recovered patients have to rely on oxygen machines even three months after being discharged from the hospital, Liang Tengxiao, a doctor from the Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, was quoted as saying by the report. Liang's team is also conducting follow-up visits with recovered patients aged above 65. The results also showed that antibodies against the novel coronavirus in 10 per cent of the 100 patients have disappeared. Five per cent of them received negative results in COVID-19 nucleic acid tests but positive results in Immunoglobulin M (IgM) tests, and thus have to be quarantined again, the report said. IgM is usually the first antibody produced by the immune system when a virus attacks. A positive result in an IgM test usually means that a person has just been infected by the virus. It is still unclear if this means these people have been infected again. The 100 patients' immune systems have not fully recovered as they showed a low level of B cells -- - a primary force for killing viruses in the human body -- but a high level of T cells which only recognise viral antigens outside infected cells. "The results revealed that the patients' immune systems are still recovering," Peng said. The patients also suffered depression and a sense of stigma. Most of the recovered patients told the team that their families were not willing to have dinner with them at the same table, the report said. Less than half of the recovered patients have returned to work, it said. The findings are significant as the coronavirus first emerged in Wuhan city. Hubei province for which Wuhan is the provincial capital has reported a total of 68,138 confirmed COVID-19 cases till now. The disease has claimed 4,512 lives in the province, according to the official data. China reported 27 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, including 22 locally-transmitted cases, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Wednesday. All locally-transmitted cases were reported in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the NHC said. On Tuesday, five new imported cases were also reported. Of the cases, two were reported in Shanghai and one each in Beijing, Sichuan and Shaanxi, the commission said. As of Tuesday, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases had reached 84,491, including 810 patients who were still being treated, with 36 in severe condition. Altogether 79,047 people had been discharged after recovery, and 4,634 had died of the disease in the mainland, the NHC said.

90% of recovered COVID-19 patients in Wuhan suffering from lung damage: Report

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Is the risk of heart attack more severe for those infected with Covid?

COVID-19 may cause long-term lung damage: Study

90% of recovered COVID-19 patients in Wuhan suffering from lung damage: Report