New Delhi: A study conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has found that people affected by COVID-19 are prone to heart attacks. “The ICMR has completed the study and it has been submitted to peer review. Researchers at the All India Institute of Medical Science in Delhi are carrying out a review of data generated from cases of death due to heart attacks,” a senior official privy to the ICMR study told ETV Bharat on Thursday.
The official said that the study will be published soon. Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya has recently said that the ICMR had done a detailed study and advised that those who had recovered from severe COVID-19 infections should not exert themselves. “MoHFW has provided a summary of the same study. The study is completed but submitted to the Journal and under peer review,” the official said.
A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare had recently asked the ICMR to give evidence-based clarification based on the findings of its planned studies about rising cases of heart attacks in India after the pandemic. Several cases in the recent past have revealed that heart attack and brain stroke have been the two main causes of hospitalisation and death among those who received the Covid-19 vaccine.
Notably, a study conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a US medical research agency has found that SARS-CoV-2 may increase the risk of heart attacks and stroke by infecting artery wall tissue, including associated macrophages. “This provokes inflammation in atherosclerotic plaques, which could lead to heart attack or stroke,” the findings stated.
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To find out, an NIH-funded research team, led by Dr. Chiara Giannarelli at the New York University School of Medicine, analyzed coronary artery tissue samples from eight people who died of COVID-19 between May 2020 and May 2021. According to the NIH research paper, COVID-19 infection triggered several inflammatory pathways in macrophages and foam cells. “The cells also released molecules that are known to contribute to heart attacks and strokes,” it said.
When contacted, senior medical expert and former Indian Medical Association (IMA) president Dr JA Jayalal said that people who suffered from COVID-19 might have an incident of blood clot, heart failure, stroke, and arrhythmia. “Due to Covid virus, an increase in blood clots is happening. If blood clotting happens to the heart, there is a high risk of heart attacks. There are an increasing number of cases especially among the younger age groups,” he said.
He said that due to long COVID cases, strokes, lung problems, intestinal issues are happening. “People who were affected by Covid, they should definitely check their lipid profile,” Dr Jayalal said and added “People also need to check their lifestyle. People with obesity need to be more careful.”
