the First U.S. COVID Death: A Heart Attack

On February 29, the first COVID-19 death was reported in the US. For weeks this was considered to be the first coronavirus related casualty on US soil. However, it has been since discovered, that the first COVID related death occurred much earlier, on February 6. The victim, a 57-year-old woman in Santa Clara California, did not die of respiratory problems, as is common to the disease, but rather from a massive heart attack. Without any preexisting coronary heart disease or blot clot issues that could have triggered the attack her death was unexpected. It wasn’t utill later that autopsy revealed that she had traces of COVID-19 in her system. Due to the cause of death not being a commonly associated symptom, and the lack of COVID-19 testing available at the time, her passing was not initially attributed to COVID-19.  

An Overlooked Symptom

This first case highlights something important that is being overlooked: How COVID-19 can cause or exacerbate existing heart problems. Since the beginning of the pandemic it has been observed that patients with pre-existing heart conditions are among the most vulnerable groups. New research is suggesting that 1 in 5 patients with COVID-19 have signs of heart injury. This finding is consistent with what has been observed with other respiratory infections. For example, influenza has been known to increase the chances of having a heart attack due to increased inflammation, blood clotting, and blood vessel damage.

Generalized inflammation from COVID-19 is not the only risk to the heart either. Specific organs can also be infected, including the heart itself. When this happens it can cause severe isolated inflammation which can be life threatening. The threat of localized inflammation isn’t just limited to people with preexisting conditions either. It can happen even to anyone regardless of their health prior to becoming infected.

Why aren’t we talking about this?

The link between COVID-19 and heart damage has not gotten much attention. One of the main reasons for this is because COVID-19 causes more respiratory problems than cardiac ones. Another possible cause for this is that heart failure is more of a secondary complication caused by the virus rather than a primary symptom. Furthermore, cardiac injuries are not unique to COVID-19 solely. Other severe viral infections can also cause heart issues. The question is whether the COVID-19 is more virulent toward the heart than other respiratory viruses, which seems to be the case.

There is still much to learn: 
COVID-19 is a deadly virus and there is still much we don’t know about it. Understanding how it affects the body is going to help us better manage it and reduce it effects. Understanding this problem better, will lead to lives saved both in this outbreak and other viral outbreaks that may occur. Still, more research is needed to confirm exactly how the coronavirus affects heart function, and which patients with COVID-19 are most at risk for running into heart complications.