Investigating the Impact of COVID-19 on the Incidence of Cardiovascular Diseases: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background The inflammation caused by COVID-19 can cause blood clots, block the heart vessels and lead to heart attack. Aim This study aims toinvestigate the impact of COVID-19 on heart diseases in patients referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Jiroft City. Methods This is a cross-sectional (descriptive-analytical) study. The statistical population includes all cardiovascular patients who visited Imam Khomeini Hospital two years before Corona (March 2017 to March 2019) and two years after Corona (March 2019 to March 2021). Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 20. The chi-square test was used to investigate the relationship between qualitative variables in two groups. The level of significance in this study was considered less than 0.05. Results The average age of patients before COVID-19 was 60.02 ± 16.7 years, and during COVID-19 was 63.9 ± 16.8 years, and in group 1, 50.5% were men, and in group 2, 51% were women. COVID-19 has caused a 14.2% increase in cardiovascular diseases. Acute coronary syndrome, heart attacks, and heart failure increased by 11.3%, 32.2%, and 9.5%, respectively, during the COVID-19pandemic compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion Based on the findings of the study, special attention should be paid to the cardiovascular support of these patients and specific diagnostic and treatment protocols should be developed to prevent cardiovascular complications and treat patients with COVID-19.