How can the heart be affected by COVID-19? Gaurav Ramasani

COVID-19. One of the most dangerous viruses to ever plague the world. Hundreds of regions have been affected by the virus, and as a result, have changed the world as we know it. Lots of countries have had to go through a lock down phase, and the results have been very surprising in some countries. The medical field had to go into overdrive to handle the destruction and chaos that the virus created, especially from March through July 2020, and one field that has needed some special attention is the cardiology field. People with COVID-19 were expected to be more vulnerable to heart disease. In this article, we are going to be talking about how the virus affects hearts, some of the factors involved in keeping them healthy and how to do so, and a brief discussion about the future from my opinion.

First off, the heart is the most essential organ in our body without a doubt. Without it, you would be considered dead. With this virus, cardiologists are finding that more people have actually been susceptible to heart disease because the virus weakens the immune system. Blood oxygen is also a key factor in understanding a person’s immune system. The virus can do much more than just affect your nervous system; it can cause significant damage to other vital organs, such as your lungs. Cardiology suggests that there is a high risk for people who have tested positive, and to tell you why so, let’s consider an incident of a person who had COVID-19 and whose heart was affected by it. A player from the MLB, Eduardo Rodriguez, had tested positive for COVID-19 when his summer camp started. He was cleared on July 18th, however, and seemed to be back in shape. Surprisingly after putting Eduardo through an MRI, the doctors said that he actually had a condition that was caused by COVID-19, which resulted in an inflammation of the heart. That condition is known as myocarditis. It’s not a very common condition because statistics say that about 10-20% of people who have the corona virus actually get it. It is a very dangerous condition, however, because it can be serious enough to cause other complications, such as heart failure. As you can see, that is an example of how dangerous the virus can affect people’s hearts.

There are other factors that are essential to protecting your heart from the virus. One factor I’ve mentioned earlier and is perhaps one of the most important factors is your blood oxygen. Blood oxygen is the measure of how much oxygen is in your blood, hence the name, so your blood can be free of dead cells and further reinforce your immune system. Having a high level is very important because low levels of blood oxygen can be a sign that there is something wrong with your respiration or blood circulation. Normal blood oxygen levels will range from 95%-100%. Another factor in keeping your heart healthy is losing weight. The reason why it is important is because it is a very common cause of heart disease; when you eat too much food, more body fat will build up in you, causing more plaque to build up and clog your heart. If you lose weight, you can reduce the risk of getting heart disease and keep yourself fit and healthy. There are more ways to keep you and your heart healthy, and they also involve getting rid of some bad habits. However, it is easier said than done because to get rid of some habits, you would really need to be mentally strong in most scenarios, such as trying to deal with stress and cutting down on junk food. In addition, it can take quite a long time to get rid of those temptations, but if you feel like you’re up to the challenge, then it may be easier for you to shift to a healthier lifestyle.

The future is very unpredictable, but it is also what we make of right now. Every second that passes by, we are entering into the future of our reality as we know it. This virus is a long way from going away, and unfortunately, at this moment we have received information that there has been a mutation of this virus in the United Kingdom, so I am not expecting it to go away instantly. What I am hoping is that the United States close of their borders with the United Kingdom as soon as possible, because if there is one flight that comes from the United Kingdom, the world may have to go on a second lockdown. As of right now, I personally think that this virus is under a good amount of control, bu I fear that now that the mutation has occurred, the world has to actually think about what will happen to their future if they don’t take the proper initiatives to keep themselves safe and try to protect their futures. Otherwise, there may be a result that it far worse than what we are going through right now, including higher death tolls, significantly higher cases, economies failing, etc. The future is a very malleable part of our life, and I hope that this world can realize that and work together to get through these troubling times.

In conclusion, COVID-19 can affect hearts a lot. They can easily scar them by spoiling some part or they can also shut them down easily. I hope that the vaccine can help us, and if not, I won’t give up in my faith that the world will return to normal. Thank you for reading, and stay safe everyone.

Thank You!