blood clot

COVID On The Heart

“We will see….”

I often end these blog posts that describe the confounding nature of this brand new SARS-CoV-2 virus and its novel disease, COVID, saying, “We will see.” The virus and its disease, both, have been very unusual and medical science has been continually trying to catch up with it and understand new issues they present. Hence, novel information we have been gathering takes a while to understand, so "We will see" is an appropriated disclaimer.

After four years dealing with all this, our vision is gradually improving. For instance, we are getting a better handle on how infection with the virus affects the heart.

Sadly, too many armchair medical conspiracists still frequently sound off that mRNA vaccines are causing thousands of deaths due to cardiovascular problems they cause. They do so without ever proffering credible evidence to support their notion--they simply claim that it is self evident. The truth is that the vaccines are not doing that in any significant number as I previously debunked here, here, here and especially here. Several clinical trials done before the vaccines were released demonstrated that cardio risk from the shot is negligible, and when it occurs it is inconsequential and usually accompanied by no symptoms. It is just detected via blood test. This has since been confirmed in a billion people around the world who have gotten several billion shots as investigators continue to follow the outcomes of vaccinated people in what are called, “post-market studies” or "phase 4 trials." Rather, it is the virus that is causing almost all the cardiovascular problems and this is well established by the research.

We do know that between March 2020 and March 2022, there were ~90,000 more cardio deaths in the US than expected. Most of these were in people 65 and older who have the highest risk for such problems, but heart-related deaths also jumped dramatically for healthy 25-44 year old COVID patients. How does the virus do this?

It is understood that CoV-2 infection and COVID disease cause widespread inflammation in the body, the vaccines, not so much in most recipients. General inflammation caused by viral infection is what increases cardio risk. The virus and disease stick around a while and so does the inflammation; the vaccine and its side effects do not. The immune system responds to this lasting infection, in part, by releasing hormone-like proteins that cause inflammation and blood clotting. Clotting and plaque accumulation in arteries lead to heart attacks or strokes. Smokers and those with high blood pressure often already have plaque in their arteries, so it is no surprise that these folks are at the highest risk for COVID-caused cardiovascular problems.

Even without pre-existing plaque, virus-induced inflammation in blood vessels alone can lead to clot formation, even in the absence of other high risk factors. That helps explain how younger, healthier people also show increased risk for cardio problems after infection with the virus.

We have also learned that even if you had COVID a year ago and cleared it, you remain at long-term risk for all cardiovascular problems according to a large study that analyzed medical records of almost 700,000 patients. The stroke risk is 1.5 times elevated; risk of heart attack is doubled; and the risk for different types of arrhythmias increases 1.6-2.4 times. Some of this elevated risk comes from the ability of COVID disease to induce new-onset high blood pressure in some people. Why this particular consequence to infection happens is another “we will see” question.

The good news is that vaccines reduce all this risk. Other studies showed that people who are vaccinated are roughly 40 to 60 percent less likely to have a heart attack or stroke following a COVID infection than those who are unvaccinated. This may be because vaccinated people are less likely to develop severe COVID. The greater the severity of disease means that the patient experiences much more inflammation which in turn leads to greater risk of cardio problems.

Again, the risk of the vaccine causing myocarditis is way overblown and those who continue to harp on this are spreading disinformation. The risk of myocarditis following infection is 4-8 times greater than following the vax, not the other way around. Don’t believe these lies, which cannot be supported by medical science, only by salacious rumor.

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