The findings of a research done on more than 150,000 persons who have beaten the virus are published in "Nature Medicine."
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| [COVID-19 and heart problems] |
A change of direction is required in cardiological treatment in Italy, because the pandemic's direct and indirect impacts are deteriorating individuals' cardiovascular health. The delays in care documented in the various pandemic waves raise the prospect of an increase in heart disease patients and a return to pre-pandemic levels of cardiovascular mortality. A study published in "Nature Medicine" that compared more than 150,000 Covid-19 patients to over 5 million healthy controls found that after the infection, the risk of cardiovascular disease increases significantly, even in those under the age of 65 who did not have risk factors such as obesity or diabetes.
It has been demonstrated that individuals who have recovered from Covid are 52% more likely to suffer a stroke. In addition, the risk of heart failure rises by 72%. It is a circumstance that necessitates not only recovering the accumulated delays as quickly as possible, ensuring the highest priority treatments, and preserving the cardiological emergency network, but also investing additional resources in research and prevention. Furthermore, discrepancies in the levels of support supplied in the various Regions must be minimised, particularly when it comes to diagnoses or very complicated interventions in the South. In addition, the infrastructures of big hospitals must be replaced.
"A troubling picture is forming that threatens to undo the significant advances made over the last two decades," says Ciro Indolfi, Vice President of FOCE (Federation of Oncologists, Cardiologists, and Hematologists) and President of SIC (Italian Society of Cardiology). In Italy, 7.5 million individuals are affected by heart disease. Total mortality from cardiovascular disorders has more than halved in 36 years (1980-2016), with new medicines having had the greatest effect on this trend. However, the epidemic is destroying all of these gains. It is not, as some have said, unwarranted alarmism. "Our fears are supported by credible facts."
A recent study done by the Italian Society of Cardiology (SIC) at 45 hospitals dispersed around the country in two sections, in November / December 2021 and January 2022, revealed the reduction of assistance: Elective (planned) admissions of cardiac patients were reduced in 68 percent of the centres, diagnostic tests were lowered in 50 percent, and outpatient visits were reduced in 45 percent. 22 percent had to cut the number of intense cardiac care (ICU) beds, while 18 percent had to reduce the number of medical employees in ICU and 13 percent had to reduce the number of nursing staff.
"During the initial wave of the pandemic in the spring of 2020, emergency hospital admissions for heart attacks and strokes were cut in half, and many individuals died at home or survived with significant heart or brain damage, because catastrophic cardiovascular events are time-dependent," prof. Indolfi explains. This new poll confirms our concerns about a return to mortality and a poorer prognosis for heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure. Coronary angioplasty, pacemaker and defibrillator implants, and ablations have all reduced. Not at all. The number of EKGs, echocardiograms, and exercise tests was decreased. All of this is concerning: cardiac patients no longer have access to proper prophylaxis and therapy for their diseases.
In Italy, cardiovascular disorders account for 44% of all fatalities, with ischemic heart disease being the leading cause of mortality (28 percent ). Figures that are doomed to worsen in the absence of expenditures in prevention as well. "By 2021, there will be almost one million more smokers than in the past," Prof. Indolfi says. 44% of citizens have gained weight. Furthermore, excessive alcohol intake has increased by 23.6 percent among males and 9.7 percent among females, putting health at danger. Chronic illnesses such as cancer and cardiovascular disease can be efficiently avoided by adopting a healthy lifestyle, but residents must be informed."
Prof. Indolfi co-signed an essay in "Circulation" outlining possible tangible remedies. "There is an obvious imbalance, which must be addressed, between the quality of support offered in the various Regions, particularly in relation to very difficult diagnoses or treatments in the South," says the Vice President FOCE. Furthermore, financing from the European Commission's Recovery Fund may enable for the renovation of big hospital facilities, particularly in terms of technology diffusion across the region. On addition, we must spend in research. Despite the excellent calibre of Italian cardiology research, resources are limited. In 14 years, the funds have ranged from 1% to 1.4 percent of GDP, whereas the European average is 2%."