February is Heart Health month and typically a time to investigate new treatments and approaches to heart disease. This year, however, COVID is top of mind and impacting heart health in ways few would have predicted.
The American Heart Association highlights a number of studies suggesting that some COVID-19 survivors may experience some type of heart damage, even if they didn’t have underlying heart disease and weren’t sick enough to be hospitalized for COVID. This understanding has health care experts worried about a potential increase in heart failure.
Their concern also has to do with the fact that many people have avoided going to the doctor over the past year due to COVID concerns. Their reluctance has the potential for long term health impact.
Dr. Rhondalyn McLean, MD., is a Cardiologist and the Medical Director for Heart Transplantation with Penn Medicine and she joins Smart Talk to discuss what is now known about COVID and the heart.
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