Congenital heart defects not linked to COVID symptoms

NEW YORK: People born with heart defects had a lower-than-expected risk of developing moderate or severe COVID-19 symptoms, according to a study of more than 7,000 patients. Congenital heart defects are present at birth and can affect the structure of a baby's heart and the way it works, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Throughout the course of the pandemic, evidence has shown that individuals with heart disease have a higher risk of life-threatening illness and complications from COVID-19.

But the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on individuals with congenital heart defects, who are generally younger than those with adult-onset heart disease, was unknown.

"At the beginning of the pandemic, many feared that congenital heart disease would be as big a risk factor for severe COVID-19 as adult-onset cardiovascular disease," said co-leader of the study Matthew Lewis, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York.

"We were reassured by the low number of congenital heart patients who required hospitalisation for COVID-19 and the relatively good outcomes of these patients." (IANS)

Also Watch: Jatin Bora and Wife Nabanita Sarma felicitate Hemanta Dutta