Americans died from heart attacks at home at alarming rates, warn doctors.
Researchers from Mass General Brigham, a hospital affiliated with Harvard, found that deaths linked to the heart had reached 17% in the years following the cocovid pandemic.
And while the exact number is unknown, in many of these cases, the heart attacks were at home, despite deaths in hospitals.
This suggests that patients are “missed” – until it is too late.
Dr Jason H WASFY, study author and research director on results Massachusetts General Hospital, said: “Many reports have shown that there have been fewer heart attacks in hospitals since 2020 – but something seems to be missing from this data.
“We now show that if you count deaths at home, cardiac deaths are increasing and have been standing for years. Today, there are many more people with cardiac deaths at home, which also raises the concern that people with heart disease have not received the care they need from the pandemic.
It has been shown that the virus coche – which infected more than 100 million Americans – damage the heart and blood vessels that can be a factor.
But doctors say that more factors must be at stake, which are still in the process of understanding – including diet and lifestyle factors.
For example, a study revealed this week Smoking marijuana Or the consumption of edible products can increase the risk.
The researchers of the mass general Brigham noted in a new study that deaths of heart attack exceeded expectations during the pandemic (image in stock)
The above graph shows the estimated deaths of heart causes in residents of Massachusetts compared to the real rate. Researchers said many of these deaths have occurred at home
Although the complete results have not yet been published, experts think that the pandemic could also be linked to a mystery increase Young Americans suffering from heart attacks.
The study, published Friday Jama Network Openexamined 127,746 death certificates of people who died in the Massachusetts between January 2014 and July 2024.
The average age was 77 years and around 52% were men.
The researchers then made population estimates on the basis of American census data from 2014 to 2023.
Using the death certificate and census data, the team has set an expected cardiac death rate for 2020 to 2023.
They found that heart deaths were 16% higher than expected in 2020, 17% higher in 2021 and 2022 and six percent higher in 2023.
The number of monthly cardiac deaths at home has also exceeded the expected levels between 2020 and 2022 and in hospitals between 2020 and 2023.
However, they have cited additional data showing that cardiac crisis hospitalizations decreased from 20 to 34% after the start of the pandemic. This suggests that many of these excess deaths have occurred at home.
The researchers wrote: “In this cohort study based on the population of the decent of Massachusetts, we found that cardiac deaths increased considerably from 2020, with exaggerated seasonal models and an increase in deaths at home.
“While many other studies have found less admission to heart emergencies in the countries of the world, these studies may have missed events that occur outside hospitals.”
Researchers suggested that this increase could be due to more people who avoid hospitals during the pandemic or to be rejected by doctors.
CDC Search from 2020For example, found that 40% of Americans delayed or avoided asking for medical care at the start of the pandemic, and 12% remained away from emergency rooms.
However, emerging research also shows that the virus covers itself can cause long-term heart problems, increasing the risk of cardiac death.
The data show that cases of heart attack are increasing for young Americans
Chloé Burke made a cardiac arrest at 21 years old by applauding at the University of Houston. She now educates others on cardiac arrest
Covid was linked to myocarditis, Inflammation of the heart muscleAnd pericarditis, inflammation of the mucosa in the shape of a bag surrounding the heart.
With myocarditis, it is believed that Covid makes the immune system attack and causes inflammation of the myocardium, the muscle of the heart.
This same mechanism was linked to pericarditis.
Although most cases are soft, in rare cases, myocarditis can damage the heart and make it difficult for it to pump blood, which ultimately causes heart failure, heart attack and stroke.
In cases as rare as in 200,000, mRNA in headdress vaccines can trigger a similar immune response and cause myocarditis or pericarditis.
The inflammation induced by COVVID also modifies the electrical signals of the heart, leading to irregular cardiac beats called arrhythmia.
Research published this week also stressed Smoke grass or take edible products At least three times a week as a potential cause of heart attacks.
This team found endothelial cells, which line the blood vessels and regulate blood circulation, released less nitric oxide in people who regularly smoke marijuana or took edible products.
Matias Escobar was almost died while he was in competition at the New York Triathlon. Doctors said his vital signs offered no clue – cholesterol and blood pressure had all checked before competing
Raquel Hutt shared on Tiktok that she had undergone a heart attack at 24 years old, doctors not being sure of the cause
Nitric oxide helps blood vessels to dilate and deliver vital oxygen throughout the body.
This altered function affects the capacity of blood vessels to expand, increasing the risk of atherosclerosis, heart attacks and strokes.
Dr. John HSU, author of the senior study of the new study and director of the clinical economy and policies program at MASS General, said: “Health systems in the world have experienced multiple shocks since 2020. Our results suggest that the two choices of patients concerning the search for care and results after having undergone a heart emergency have also changed.
“If we had not examined mortality using data on death certificates, the increase in the heart mortality of the population could have gone unnoticed.”
There were several limits under study, including the lack of data on causes leading to heart death. It is not known when the complete results are published.
The study was partially funded by the National Institutes of Health.
