Pandemic Stress Can Lead To Heart Problems, Stamford Health Says

STAMFORD, CT — Impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic have been felt far and wide since it began in March of 2020.

Social interactions and daily life were interrupted, as was the economy. Now in October of 2021, COVID-19 cases are on the decline and trending in the right direction, and people are heading back to work, but the threat still remains.

In the United States, according to The Lancet, a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal, the pandemic has caused a notable increase in stress and anxiety, which is closely related to cardiovascular disease.

"There are many mental health issues that can be risk factors for heart disease. We've found that people who are depressed or who are under a lot of stress, particularly people who don't handle stress well, are at increased risk of having coronary disease and heart attacks," explained Dr. Scott Martin, Director of Interventional Cardiology at Stamford Health. Those with cardiac problems who are more stressed tend to have worse outcomes than those who aren't, he added.

Martin said that coronary artery disease, where people develop blocked arteries that can lead to a heart attack, is a process that develops over time. It can often start with toxins like cigarette smoke or sugar in the blood from diabetes, Martin said. But emotional stress can also cause damage and lead to plaque buildup in arteries.

"When people are stressed and afraid and staying at home, they're not doing healthy things like sleeping well and exercising and eating right. Their diet can suffer and they stop doing routine exercise," Martin said. "So people who are stressed and afraid, aside from the direct impacts of the stress, they stop doing the things that are healthy and protecting them."

At Stamford Health when the pandemic was at its worst, elective procedures were cancelled. Aside from that, patients just weren't coming in for normal checkups and treatments because of a fear of getting COVID-19, Martin said.

"In the summer through fall last year, we were seeing people who put off more routine care and came in sicker because of it," Martin said, assuring residents that it's safe to seek medical treatment now. He said he's not aware of any cases of patient-to-patient transmission of COVID-19 at Stamford Hospital.

"You can be assured that your providers are vaccinated, and we're still wearing masks throughout the hospital. I would not delay care. The risk of getting COVID at the hospital is almost zero," he said.

Martin recommends getting routine medical follow-ups to help avoid cardiac problems. Knowing what your blood pressure and cholesterol levels are and keeping them under control is key, he said.

"Try to eat right, which for your heart is a diet rich in fiber and vegetables and low in processed foods and fatty meats," Martin said. "Exercise ideally enough to break a sweat at least 3-4 times a week. People who do those things along with maintaining a healthy weight are dramatically less likely to have a heart attack than people who don't."

Martin highlighted recent awards that Stamford Health's Heart & Vascular Institute received from the American Heart Association:

• Mission: Lifeline NSTEMI Gold Award: Recognizes specific criteria and standards of performance for the quick and appropriate treatment of NSTEMI heart attack patients by providing emergency procedures to re-establish blood flow to blocked arteries when needed. In NSTEMI, coronary artery blockages cause a part of the heart muscle to not receive blood.
• Mission: Lifeline® STEMI Gold Award: Recognizes specific criteria and standards of performance for the quick and appropriate treatment of STEMI heart attack patients. STEMI is a very serious form of heart attack in which a coronary artery is blocked, and the full thickness of the heart muscle cannot receive blood.

Stamford Health's Stroke Center also received an award from the American Stroke Foundation: Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus with Honor Roll and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll Award.

The awards are for implementing quality improvement measures that ensure cardiovascular patients receive efficient and coordinated care, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer returns to the hospital, according to a news release from Stamford Health

"We are honored to receive these awards from the AHA and ASA," said Stamford Health President and CEO Kathleen Silard in a news release. "Our staff is our most precious resource, and these awards are a true testament to their everyday dedication to patient centered care and quality outcomes."