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Researchers have warned that patients diagnosed with Covid-19 are at higher risk of developing stroke and heart attack.
A study published by Journal of American College of Cardiology found that individuals with previous heart conditions are more at risk of developing blood clots inside their blood vessels, which, in medical terms, is referred to as Thrombosis.
Deep vein thrombosis occurs when the blood clot forms in the veins, most of the time in the legs. When the clot breaks free from the veins and travels to the lungs in the course of blood circulation, it is referred to as pulmonary embolism.
Pulmonary embolism can lead to stroke or cardiac arrest.
The study titled Covid-19 and Thrombotic or Thromboembolic Disease: Implications for Prevention, Antithrombotic Therapy, and Follow-up claims states that Covid-19 has a number of important cardiovascular implications.
“Patients with prior cardiovascular disease are at higher risk for adverse events from Covid-19. Individuals without a history of cardiovascular disease are at risk for incident cardiovascular complication,” states the study report.
Deprived of oxygen
The study found that severe deprivation of oxygen in the body may predispose Covid-19 patients to internal blood clots.
The study also noted that experimental drugs for treating Covid-19 may have adverse interactions with drugs used to prevent blood clots.
“Inflammatory response, increased age, and bed-ridden status –which are more frequently observed in severe Covid-19– may contribute to thrombosis and adverse outcomes,” reads the study.
A similar study published on April 28, 2020 on The New England Journal of Medicine has also raised similar concerns as it documented cases of five Covid-19 patients less than 50 years who developed stroke, related to blood clots.
One of the patients, a 33-year-old woman, had a headache and chills that lasted a week and developed to numbness and weakness in left arm and left leg for 28 hours.
The patient had delayed seeking emergency care due to fear of Covid-19.
“When she presented to the hospital, the score on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) was 19 (scores range from 0 to 42, with higher numbers indicating greater stroke severity)" states the study.
CT scans of the patient's lungs found that she had Covid-19.
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