The new Covid variant could cause a "heart failure pandemic". The alarm has been raised by experts, who emphasize that there is a "global health risk".
The increase in cases of the virus, especially due to the new strain known as "JN.1", could lead to possible heart problems.
The last report
Scientists at Japan's leading research institute, Riken, have published a new report. They say the ACE2 receptors, which the coronavirus latches onto inside human cells, are "very common" in the heart. This means that many people who contract the virus may suffer from "reduced heart function".
Who is most at risk?
The report suggests that the Covid pandemic may have changed things considerably. The report warns those at risk of future heart failure due to the fact that "ongoing SARS-CoV-2 (Covis-19) infection is expected to increase exponentially".
Causes
According to the report “although no convincing clinical evidence has been reported so far that persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with a decline in cardiac function, the proof-of-concept study of the possibility of persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection CoV-2 of the heart and the potential risk of opportunistic progression of heart failure should be validated by a three-dimensional model of human cardiac tissue that would serve as a wake-up call to a global health risk."