ORLANDO, Fla. – Heart specialists are warning about long-term health problems associated with the novel coronavirus.
“It definitely is something that cardiologists are now dealing with as we see the long-term effects of this very treacherous virus,” said Dr. Sayed Hussain, an interventional cardiologist at Osceola Regional Medical Center.
During the pandemic, Hussain said patients suffering from COVID-19 have experienced heart attacks and inflammation of the heart muscles.
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“The other thing that we’ve noticed is that we’ve gone in to take care of COVID patients for heart attacks that they’ve had, it’s very difficult to take out the clots from their arteries, they’re extremely thick clots that don’t respond to our therapies,” Hussain said.
While the full extent of long-term effects due to COVID-19 are unknown, Hussain said problems with the cardiovascular system are difficult to treat.
“As a cardiologist, what we find is many times stress is what’s the problem, that’s what actually disrupts the vulnerable plaque in your heart,” Hussain said.
His advice? Get the COVID-19 vaccine if you can and, while you wait for a vaccine, wear a mask. He also encourages daily vitamins and outdoor walks to improve your immunity.
“One of the messages that you should give your viewers is that, take COVID very seriously, it can give you long-lasting effects,” Hussain said.