COVID-19 leads to sharp rise in stress cardiomyopathy
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant increase in the number of patients presenting with stress cardiomyopathy, according to new findings published in JAMA Open Network.
The authors tracked nearly 2,000 acute coronary syndrome patients who received care at one of two Ohio hospitals. Patients treated during the pandemic—March 1 to April 30, 2020—were compared with patients treated during four other two-month periods from March 2018 to February 2020.
Stress cardiomyopathy—often referred to as broken heart syndrome—was up significantly in March and April 2020, reaching a rate of 7.8%. Prior to the pandemic, the stress cardiomyopathy rates ranged from 1.5% to 1.8%.
The researchers noted, however, that the patients diagnosed with this condition all tested negative for COVID-19. Also, the likelihood of mortality or a 30-day rehospitalization do not appear to have been affected by the pandemic.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about multiple levels of stress in people's lives across the country and world,” lead author Ankur Kalra, MD, a Cleveland Clinic cardiologist, said in a statement. “People are not only worried about themselves or their families becoming ill, they are dealing with economic and emotional issues, societal problems and potential loneliness and isolation. The stress can have physical effects on our bodies and our hearts, as evidenced by the increasing diagnoses of stress cardiomyopathy we are experiencing.”
“For those who feel overwhelmed by stress, it's important to reach out to your healthcare provider,” added senior author Grant Reed, MD, MSc, director of Cleveland Clinic’s STEMI program. “Exercise, meditation and connecting with family and friends, while maintaining physical distance and safety measures, can also help relieve anxiety.”
The full study is available here.
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Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.