People that died of Covid had major DNA damage to the heart, study finds

A troubling reaction to Covid-19 has been uncovered in new research linking the virus to damage not seen in flu patients.

New research has uncovered widespread DNA damage in the hearts of people who have died from Covid-19, completely different to any side effects experienced by flu patients.

Autopsies were carried out on seven deceased Covid-19 patients aged between 46 and 81, with extensive cardiac DNA damage a common finding.

While the exact reason behind the DNA damage is yet to be determined, some studies have pointed to Covid-19 spike proteins stopping DNA damage from repairing in the heart tissue.

Unlike the flu, which can have general heart inflammation, Covid-19 infections saw patients develop more acute and serious symptoms that can lead to heart failure or sudden cardiac death.

People that died of Covid had major DNA damage to the heart, study finds. Picture: AFP

The study was completed by researchers across the globe, including Australian co-authors Dr Arutha Kulasinghe from the University of Queensland’s Diamantina Institute and Ning Liu from Victoria’s Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research.

According to researchers, even those with relatively mild Covid-19 infections were still able to experience heart complications later on.

“Ongoing myocardial inflammation have also been reported even in patients who recovered from relatively mild, or even asymptomatic, Covid-19,” the report states.

“Currently, it remains unclear how long-term cardiac complications from Covid-19 will persist in convalescent patients. Studies have shown that the risk and 1-year burden of cardiovascular disease is substantial in survivors of acute Covid-19.”

The findings add to the growing information regarding the long-term health implications from Covid-19 infections, while possibly allowing medical staff to better identify who is most at risk of severe heart complications.

Researchers acknowledged that to understand how common this DNA damage is among patients larger cohorts needed to be examined, as well as more research into the direct causes.

“Further work is warranted to discern whether direct SARS-CoV-2 infection of cardiac tissue or other physiological events are responsible for the cardiac injury observed in our cohort,” they said.

This is not the first time the respiratory virus has been linked to cardiac complications, with infected patients known to have had heightened risks of suffering from acute or long-term cardiovascular disease.

Once recovered from Covid-19, people may still experience heart issues such as chest pain, palpitations and myocarditis.