Coronavirus: What will the long-term health impacts be?

The long term health impacts COVID-19 will have on patients’ bodies, is an evolving question.

Doctors say it is a respiratory illness, but they are learning more every day about the virus’ impact on other organs which are showing damage.

Miami Valley Hospital’s Chief Associate Medical Officer, Dr. Roberto Colón, said the latest research shows COVID-19 is causing heart inflammation.

“It’s a myocarditis or a carditis, and that appears to cause some of the heart disfunction, where the heart doesn’t seem to be pumping very well,” Dr. Colón said.

A New York doctor who went to medical school and completed his residency at Wright State University also said research shows a correlation in three areas where COVID-19 is causing heart attacks.

Dr. Tom Pitts said the COVID-19 patients might have septic shock, inflammation of the sack around the heart, or the body’s immune response could cause the lungs to not send out enough oxygen.

“You’re not able to perform the work, that is the physical work that is required to circulate blood under these conditions throughout your body. Your heart goes to an arrhythmia,” Dr. Pitts said.

He is the doctor who started the clinical trial using a drug called Soliris to save a Troy respiratory therapist’s life. Pitts said had Amy De Vos not received the medicine, she would have died.

“Eventually it would have been her heart that gave out,” Dr. Pitts said.

According to Dr. Colón, patients are also experiencing problems with other organs, including the liver, kidneys, and some of the intestinal areas.

“We don’t yet know if that is a direct impact of the virus infection in those organs or the illness associated with severe manifestations,” Dr. Colón said.

He expects ongoing inflammation problems, similar to other Coronaviruses like SARS and MERS, to be COVID-19’s long term impact.

While a majority of those patients eventually recovered, Colón said those who experience more severe symptoms could deal with long term lung disease.

“Fibrosis within the lungs is usually irreversible. It does not go away. That’s when the lung heals with fibrous tissue because of inflammation,” Dr. Colón said.

Dr. Colón said researchers do not know if COVID-19 lies dormant in recovered patients. If that is the case, it could flare up again.

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