Release
Expert advice for Australians with heart risks in evolving COVID-19 situation - Eastern Health Clinic
18 Mar 2020 12:01 AM
embargoed: 00:01
wEDNESDAY, 18 March 2020
Leading Sydney cardiovascular
expert available for interviews today on:
Latest advice for Australians with heart risk factors in evolving situation
·
Australia is ‘doing well
so far’ acting to contain the spread of COVID-19 but ‘must
increase vigilance and adopt even stricter measures’ to avoid the
trajectory the disease has taken in Northern Italy,’ says Professor Nigel
Jepson, interventional cardiologist at Prince of Wales Hospital and Medical
Director of Eastern Heart Clinic, Randwick NSW.
·
Particularly
vulnerable are the 1.2 million Australians currently living with cardiovascular disease (CVD);1
more than 1 in 4 (26%) of those aged 75 and over have heart, stroke and
vascular disease.2
·
This group and people
with other conditions that affect the heart and vascular system, such as high
blood pressure, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes, are at elevated
risk of developing complications if they contract COVID-19.3 In
an ordinary year, CVD already leads to an average of more than 1 million
hospitalisations.2
·
In
addition to following the Government’s advice on social distancing and hygiene,
Prof Jepson advises that people with CVD should start following ‘heightened’
measures (below).
·
‘We can see from the
data in Wuhan that patients with an underlying heart condition may not
be more likely to become infected in the first place but are at higher risk
of developing complications including breathing problems, abnormal heart
rhythms or, ultimately, heart failure, than others,’ says Prof Jepson. This
increased risk of death for people with CVD is estimated to be nearly 10%
higher than a ‘healthy’ patient.3
·
‘We don’t want to
create fear or panic but I don’t think we’re really getting the message
across that, while for most of us COVID-19 would be an innocuous disease to
get, we need to adopt caution and care to slow the rate of spread as
much as possible, in order to protect those who could be more seriously
affected.
·
‘We also want to
avoid clogging up hospitals. It makes no sense to say, ‘Let’s all get it now,
and get it over with’ - that’s nonsensical and dangerous - because we need
the emergency beds, equipment and personnel for acute COVID-19 patients or any
other person requiring emergency medical care, or we will find ourselves
buckling under the pressure, like the health services in Lombardy (northern Italy)’.
·
New Italian data
released at the weekend shows higher death rates than in China, Iran or Korea.4 The precise reasons for the higher rates are not clear,
but it is thought that very rapid community spread of COVID-19 and a saturated
health system were at least significant contributors.
10 WAYS PEOPLE
WITH HEART ISSUES CAN REDUCE THEIR COVID-19 RISK:
1.
Avoid large gatherings (even contexts with fewer than 500 people) e.g theatres, cinemas,
concerts and shopping centres
2.
Exercise caution when using public transport - avoid busy times and routes in known
outbreak areas; make alternative travel arrangements
3.
Do not travel unnecessarily - avoid airports, train stations and bus
terminals
4.
Go shopping at quiet times - or take advantage of major supermarkets’ time slots for older
people only
5.
Have your prescriptions for heart medicines filled now – ask your pharmacist and GP to assist as
shortages are occurring in some areas
6.
Postpone non-urgent medical appointments or procedures - or consult your healthcare
professional by phone or ‘telehealth’ instead
7.
Stock up on groceries (within reason) – you’re going to be at home more, so organise
for online deliveries (friends and family can help)
8.
Get vaccinated – stick to plans to be vaccinated for influenza and pneumonia, and
others as your doctor advises, to avoid developing other conditions that can be
confused with coronavirus (such as flu)
9.
Stay healthy - eat well, get enough sleep and follow exercise regimens as advised by
your healthcare professionals
10. Keep calm and carry on - if you live alone, think about low-risk activities
you can do to socialise, such as meeting a friend outdoors for a walk
Professor Nigel Jepson is the medical director of Eastern Heart Clinic, one of the largest
interventional cardiology hospitals in Australia, based at the Prince of Wales
Hospital at Randwick. He is also a senior staff cardiologist at the Prince of
Wales Hospital, where he established the unit’s trans-catheter aortic valve
program.
FOR INTERVIEWS AND IMAGE
OF PROF JEPSON, PLEASE CONTACT:
Rachel Harris / 0498 140 433 /
[email protected]
References:
1.
ABS. https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/mf/4364.0.55.001
3.
Chinese Center for
Disease Control and Prevention, CCDC Weekly, Vol 2, No. 8
4.
World Health Organisation Situation Reports 16
March 2020. https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200316-sitrep-56-covid-19.pdf?sfvrsn=9fda7db2_2
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