Heart health worse due to Covid as risk factors soar

Lockdowns, working from home, more alcohol consumption, extra Covid kilos and the virus itself has led to worse heart health indicators, experts warn.

Covid disrupted our exercise regimes and kept us at home where we pigged out to soothe stress, and now our hearts are paying the price.

Almost half of all Australians undergoing heart health checks are in worse shape compared to pre-Covid, according to new data from the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute.

Indicators like cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure levels were all significantly higher since the start of Covid, the Victor Chang Heart Health Check, a specialist mobile testing service, has found.

Compared to March 2020, the number of people who had one indicator outside the healthy range increased from 33 per cent to 47 per cent – a relative 42 per cent increase.

Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute program manager Anastasia Dounas said the results demonstrated Covid had a much bigger impact beyond catching the virus.

Members of the Victor Chang Mobile Heart Health check team measure heart health indicators. Picture: Belinda Rolland

“People said they got out of their routine, which was the biggest one, the found it hard to continue a healthy routine during Covid, especially going in and out of lockdown,” she said.

“They got out of the habit of going to the gym during lockdown and ate and drank more because they were worried and stressed, leading to weight gain.”

“Around the tests we do, usually around 30 per cent would be recommended to their GP because either their blood sugar, their cholesterol of their blood pressure was outside of the normal healthy rate, and now we have found that is 47 per cent were, so that is a massive increase.

“It is still the same mix of ages and younger people who were quite healthy were having result outside the healthy range.

“The tests found 15 per cent were outside healthy range for blood pressure, 32.4 per cent for cholesterol which is alarming high and 10.5 per cent with blood sugar. To see that jump is quite alarming.”

Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute executive director Professor Jason Kovacic. Picture: Belinda Rowland

Cardiologist Professor Jason Kovacic said Covid had a multifaceted impact that has had a lag time of about year and we are now seeing the outcome.

Covid itself also increases the risk of heart attack.

Bondi musician Warren Trout kept fit by drumming for the likes of Men at Work and Jimmy Barnes, but that all stopped during lockdowns.

He put on a few kilos, got Covid in January last year, and a few weeks later, the 50-year-old had a heart attack.

Warren Trout had Covid two weeks before having a heart attack last year. Picture: Richard Dobson

“I thought I was healthy, I was probably carrying too much weight. I had a pain between my shoulders, it felt like I needed a back crack, I thought it was a symptom of Covid,” he said. Mr Trout had blockages caused by atherosclerosis – a build-up of cholesterol in the arteries.

THE FACTS

Before Covid, the Victor Chang Heart Health Check service, est 2011:

• 76,333 participants were tested with just over 33% of those participants having one or more results outside the normal healthy range.

Within this group:

• 8% had results outside of the healthy range for their blood pressure

• 29.7% for cholesterol

• 8% for their blood sugar

• Since March 2020, 6182 participants have been tested, with just over 47% of those participants having one or more results outside the normal healthy range

• 15% had results outside of the healthy range for their blood pressure

• 32.4% for their cholesterol

• 10.5% for their blood sugar

The most common heart attack symptoms include:

• Pressure, tightness or pain in the chest and arms which may spread to the neck, jaw or back

• Nausea

• Indigestion or heartburn

• Cold sweat

• Fatigue

• Light-headedness or sudden dizziness