Corona Virus

[Jimmyk]

Hello everyone,
It’s been a while since I’ve been here on the site. As of now everything is going well. Hopefully everyone is doing well also.
One concern I have is that, having a mechanical aortic valve . Will this make someone more susceptible to Corona virus?

 

[LondonAndy]

Hi Jimmyk. You may find this thread on Coronavirus worth a read.

I think the general synopsis is that we are not particularly at greater risk than other people the same age as us, but if we get infected it can be much more serious. Here the American Heart Association gives their advice.

Risk will depend on the strength of your immune system, so older folk or those of us with diabetes etc need to be aware and consider precautions.

I found this graphic at Thailandmedicalnews that seems interesting:

 

[mrfox]

I’ve seen this a lot and the issue is that cardiovascular disease is such a varied category so without an explanation of the mechanism by which risk of serious illness is increased it's not really possible to assess my own risk (33yr old mech aortic valve no other disease) vs my mother's for instance (61yr old coronary artery disease 3xCABG).

 

[rich01]

I think it has a lot to do with how much the underlying disease is stressing the body, how weak the immune system is, and the amount of inflammation in the body.

For example, hypertension is listed as a major factor, but from what I have learned, if it is controlled with medication then it is not a problem.

I think if you have heart disease that includes diminished heart function, then that is a serious problem. I don't think an artificial heart valve would be a problem unless it is more prone to infection.

Part of my workup for valve replacement was a pulmonary test. If you did poorly on a pulmonary test I would think this would be a serious problem as the virus attacks the lower respiratory system.

Just my opinion.

 

[AZ Don]

Fyi, I saw an answer (posted below) to the OP's question, here: Coronavirus, COVID-19 & Heart Valve Disease: Top 13 Facts

I reached out to Dr. John Mehall, the Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Centura Health in Lakewood, Colorado. Here is Dr. Mehall’s response to the question, “How does the coronavirus impact the heart?”
Dr. Mehall shared, "The coronavirus can impact the heart in several ways. Viruses are known to attack the heart and can cause viral cardiomyopathies in which the pumping chambers of the heart get weak and may even fail to pump blood. The coronavirus has been widely used in rabbit models to study cardiomyopathy so it is certainly capable of damaging the pumping chambers of the heart."
In addition, Dr. Mehall stated, "Patients who have heart valve abnormalities that are well compensated and well-tolerated at baseline, are more susceptible to heart failure if they were to become infected with coronavirus. Because of the underlying heart valve issues, if damage to the pumping chamber of the heart were to occur, patients would be less able to tolerate that."

 

[johnmarkos]

Fyi, I saw an answer (posted below) to the OP's question, here: Coronavirus, COVID-19 & Heart Valve Disease: Top 13 Facts

From the same link:

Fact #12: Am I At Higher Risk To Contract Coronavirus (COVID-19) If I Already Had Heart Valve Replacement Surgery?
...
Dr. Marc Gillinov at the Cleveland Clinic responded to this question immediately. In his email to me, Dr. Gillinov answered, "People who have already had heart surgery or transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), who are otherwise healthy, should have normal immune systems. So, they should be no more susceptible to complications from a viral infection."

 

[pellicle]

I think it has a lot to do with how much the underlying disease is stressing the body, how weak the immune system is, and the amount of inflammation in the body.

I also believe this is the case

 

[Brent Moroz]

Thank you for this. I had asked my cardiologist about this and they had recommended that I try to work from home if I could. Sounds more of a precaution than a must.

From the same link:

 

[johnmarkos]

Thank you for this. I had asked my cardiologist about this and they had recommended that I try to work from home if I could. Sounds more of a precaution than a must.

If it's not a must now, it will be in a few days. If people can work from home, they should.