COVID Could Have Accelerated Shane Warne's Heart Attack: Expert

New Delhi: A post-mortem report which confirmed the spin legend Shane Warne died due to natural causes last week, now a top expert claimed that COVID could have accelerated Warne's heart attack.

According to a dailymail report, Professor Jeremy Nicholson, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Health Sciences at Perth's Murdoch University, said there was a 'significant possibility' an underlying heart condition could be exacerbated by the virus.

The report justifying Nicholson's argument, also mentioned that a Washington University study revealed that one year after catching COVID, patients possess a 72 per cent higher rate of heart failure and their risk of heart attack jumped by 63 per cent.

'Shane may well have had some sub-clinical level pre-existing atherosclerosis (this is very common in men over 40) that was then accelerated by Covid-19,' News Corp quoted Professor Nicholson as saying.

Notably, Professor Nicholson has investigated biochemical abnormalities in the blood of Covid patients and how it relates to the risk of heart disease.

In a recently published paper by him, showed that the virus caused a major shift in cardiovascular risk markers' and can increase the risk of heart disease.

According to the professor, it was very much possible that Warne's underlying heart concerns could have been worsened by his COVID infection.

'What is strange is that it was reported that he was placed on a ventilator to minimise his chances of getting long COVID— some irony there,' the daily mail report quoted him as saying.

Professor further said that in a separate paper, it was observed that the rate of cardiovascular events was greatly increased for up to a year for COVID patients.

He said while not proven, the use of a ventilator could increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, with the virus sometimes causing arteries to harden.

'We do know that SARS COV-2 infections are highly atherogenic in the acute phase and that impacts on heart attack risks and strokes,' he added.

Professor Nicholson said the shock death of the cricketer highlighted the increased risk at the population level for people who have contracted Covid-19.

Australian cricketer Shane Warne had passed away at the age of 52 due to a suspected heart attack and his management company in a brief statement released on March 4 confirmed about his demise in Koh Samui, Thailand.

"Shane was found unresponsive in his villa and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived," Warne's management had confirmed in a statement.

Born in 1969 at Victoria, the Australian was often referred to as the "Spin Wizard" due to his extraordinary ability to turn the bowl. He was arguably one of the greatest bowlers to have ever played the game, if not the most and he had redefined spin bowling like never before.

His bowling style was also quite unique and stylish, with his famous walk up to the crease and a ripping wind up action. Not only did he generate tremendous spin off the pitch but was also immensely accurate - a trait that is quite an uphill task for a leg spinner.

The spin sensation kicked off his illustrious career back in 1992 when he made his international debut for Australia in the Sydney test against India. From that point onwards, there was no turning back for him and he went on to achieve some incredible records and milestones throughout the course of his 16-year long career.

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