The symptom complex of vegetative-vascular dystonia includes many manifestations that affect the functioning of almost all organs. Extrasystole with VSD is a very common symptom and accompanies almost every VSD patient. It is exclusively neurological in nature and in most cases does not threaten the patient’s life, but it brings a lot of inconvenience and leads to an exacerbation of the disease.
What is characteristic of vegetative-vascular dystonia
It is important for a VSD patient to understand that his arrhythmia is of a functional nature. And no matter where exactly and in what quantity it occurs, one thing is clear: the heart is healthy, and the reason lies in something completely different.
Extrasystole in such patients manifests itself when a large amount of adrenaline enters the blood. But as soon as it decreases to normal, all sensations subside. That is, the problem is temporary and reversible. But patients tolerate it very hard. For them, this is like death: heart failures catch them suddenly, they can be repeated for several months and even years, until the cause is eliminated.
At this moment, a person is seized by a feeling of fear. He begins to choke, his legs give way, and he may lose consciousness. The patient becomes pale, begins to rush about, and scream. The sensation in the chest resembles a blow to the rib cage.
An even greater fear is the compensatory break after an extraordinary compression. The patient fears that his heart will stop. It seems to him that he will die, and this cannot be avoided.
If the excitement intensifies, then the symptoms worsen. Atrial fibrillation occurs. It seems that the heart works outside the regime, chaotically, as it pleases. Fortunately, this condition rarely occurs.
How COVID-19 affects the heart
Initially, scientists assumed that COVID-19 affects exclusively lung tissue, and the numerous accompanying complications associated with the work of the heart are only a consequence of hypoxia (oxygen starvation) and a pronounced inflammatory process.
However, as the mechanisms of influence of SARS-CoV-2 on the body were studied, it was proven that the virus penetrates cells and attaches to the ACE2 protein. This protein is found in the endothelium (the cells lining blood vessels), as well as in the lungs, heart and other organs. The virus, penetrating these cells, partially destroys them and causes damage to cardiac tissue, reducing blood supply to the heart, which increases the risk of inflammation.
Thus, one of the most dangerous complications of the heart after coronavirus is myocarditis . The inflammatory process affecting the muscle tissue of the heart may not make itself felt for a long time, but as a result it becomes the cause of serious problems. The severity of clinical manifestations depends on the degree of damage to the heart muscle. The cause of inflammation of the heart muscle can also be an increase in temperature and intoxication of the body.
The greatest danger is inflammation of the myocardium, which has gone unnoticed by doctors. Untreated myocarditis leads to serious complications:
- arrhythmia - a violation of the conductivity of electrical impulses, which are manifested by tachycardia, extrasystole, atrial fibrillation;
- cardiomyopathy - heart failure, which is accompanied by a change in the volume of the ventricles, enlargement of the atria, a violation of the ejection of blood from the heart into the vascular bed;
- intracardiac thrombus ;
- sudden death.
Inflammatory changes in the myocardium disrupt the electrical stability of the heart. This leads to tachyarrhythmia, which intensifies with physical activity. Therefore, patients who previously had no heart problems often complain of poor exercise tolerance after coronavirus.
Cardiac myocarditis, as a complication after coronavirus, occurs in patients of all age groups, but due to the fact that the onset of the disease is often asymptomatic or with minimal symptoms, patients are not examined and do not seek help on time.
That is why, after recovery from COVID-19, it is necessary to undergo a complete diagnosis of the functioning of the cardiovascular system and, if necessary, select an individual program to restore the functioning of the heart and blood vessels.
Euromed Clinic offers patients to undergo a rehabilitation program, which is developed individually taking into account the severity of the COVID-19 disease, the presence of concomitant diseases and a number of other factors.
