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Age matters. But it cannot be the only yardstick to determine who, among the people who suffer from cardiovascular diseases, you need to receive the vaccine as soon as possible to prevent Sars-CoV-2 virus infection.
If it is known that Covid-19 can more easily assume the characteristics of gravity in people who have cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension or obesity, we must not limit ourselves to considering only the age to make the “ranking” of those who must receive the vaccine. . This is stated in a document of the Italian Society of Cardiology (SIC) which reports that cardiovascular diseases are among those most frequently associated with severe infections from Covid-19, often leading to a poor prognosis.
“This is true in all age groups not just for the elderly, which are to be considered as a vulnerable category but age cannot be the only discriminating factor. Even young adult patients with severe forms should have priority access to the vaccination plan – indicates the report “.
A pyramid to define the risks
The document was published in the Italian Journal of Cardiology and is based on a pyramid with the groups of subjects most exposed to serious consequences and divided into three levels of risk among heart patients: high, intermediate and low. This ‘triage’ makes it possible to establish a hierarchy of access to vaccinations based on the severity of heart disease, which takes into account the weight of all heart diseases, regardless of age.
“Unfortunately, the priority plan for vaccinations includes in Category 1, among patients with high vulnerability for cardiovascular diseases, only two categories of heart patients: those suffering from severe heart failure and people with post-cardiogenic shock – explains Ciro Indolfi , SIC president. A choice that cuts out a large part of ‘forgotten’ patients, who thus risk not being adequately protected ”.
According to the expert, there are many conditions that require more attention. The classification proposed in the document provides for a subdivision of cardiac pathologies into three levels of severity identified, evaluating on the basis of the most recent scientific evidence, the severity of the disease and the impact of Covid-19 in terms of severity and mortality “.
“The first group – among others – are those who have severe ischemic heart disease, uncontrolled hypertension and diabetes, some adult congenital pathologies, pulmonary hypertension and many other heart diseases that would require a mandatory vaccination priority and an update of the categories, as underlined in the document just published by the Italian Society of Cardiology – specifies Pasquale Perrone Filardi, SIC president-elect. “.
Because the virus is dangerous for the heart
Today it is known that the Sars-CoV-2 virus has among its direct or indirect “targets”, the heart and arteries. Risks are related to changes in blood clotting linked to the inflammatory processes induced by the infection, as well as to the problems directly caused by the virus itself, much more serious than those induced by the classic seasonal viruses.
The characteristics of Covid-19 in fact lead, in some cases and in subjects with more serious forms of the disease, to have a real damage to the myocardium, the muscle tissue of the heart, or even induce pictures that resemble those of a real heart attack. , in addition to direct inflammation on the heart muscle cells.
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