我们对先天性心脏病和冠状病毒了解多少?

就像许多20岁的大学生一样, 亚历克斯·科恩(亚历克斯·科恩)在COVID-19的混乱中坐卧不宁. Some of his peers were frequenting their usual hangouts right up until many of them began shutting down, 但不是科恩.

Once word of the coronavirus hit the news, it meant something different to him. 科恩生来就患有先天性心脏病, 和很多有类似情况的人一样, 生活在对病毒影响的恐惧中.

“这是一件可怕的事情. 人们认为我更年轻, 但我可能有危险——尽管我不知道是怎么回事,科恩说. “这是未知的，所以我必须把自己当作有危险的人来对待."

科恩出生时患有肺闭锁, a condition in which the valve that releases blood from the heart to the lungs isn't properly formed. 肺闭锁是法洛四联症的一部分, a complicated condition comprised of four defects of the heart and its blood vessels.

COVID-19 can cause fever, cough and respiratory symptoms such as difficulty breathing. 科恩说，因为他的身体状况会影响他的氧气摄入量, 他担心这会让他更加脆弱.

The challenge is right now there is no evidence to guide people living with congenital heart disease concerning their personal risks.

"The majority of the information available about this illness does not include information on patients with" congenital heart disease, 博士说. Anne Marie Valente, director of the Boston Adult Congenital Heart and Pulmonary Hypertension Program.

"When you live with congenital heart disease, the unknown risk is a real threat,瓦伦蒂说. "Health care providers are working together to better understand the individualized risks and are counseling patients to be as prepared as possible and follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

目前, 没有关于先天性心脏病和冠状病毒的数据, but doctors in China observed in COVID-19 patients that many had coronary heart disease and heart failure. 但这些情况不同于先天性心脏病. Jamil Aboulhosn, director of the Ahmanson/UCLA Adult Congenital Heart Disease Center in Los Angeles.

然而, 他说很多病人都有心律失常, 或者不规则的心律, 有心脏缺陷的人最常见的是什么.

“我们正在跟踪这些患者，并建立一个急需的数据库," Aboulhosn said during a webinar organized by the Adult Congenital Heart Association. “到目前为止，我们还没有(先天性心脏病)患者的任何数据."

Researchers are investigating whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, 哪些药物会扩张血管，经常用于治疗心脏病, 对COVID-19患者有负面影响.

3月17日, 美国心脏协会, the Heart Failure Society of America and the American College of Cardiology jointly published a 声明 recommending patients continue medications already prescribed for conditions such as heart failure, 高血压和缺血性心脏病.

"Cardiovascular disease patients who are diagnosed with COVID-19 should be fully evaluated before adding or removing any treatments, and any changes to their treatment should be based on the latest scientific evidence and shared decision-making with their physician and health care team,声明说.

Valente points out that general recommendations for people living with congenital heart disease appear no different from recommendations for the general population: wash hands for 20 seconds each time regularly; practice social distancing; cough and sneeze into a tissue and throw it away; and avoid touching your face.

Despite a lack of information about congenital heart disease and coronavirus, 为病人提供的资源很少. 密歇根医学先天性心脏中心 确定条件下 它表示可能会使人们患COVID-19并发症的风险更高. 包括肺动脉高压, 心脏移植手术, 未修复的复杂先天性心脏病和单一心脏心室, 也就是说有一个心脏的下腔没有发育, 减少体内含氧血液的数量.

Valente said it is important for people with congenital heart disease to remember that this time of unrest and uncertainty is not permanent.

“我们都需要为这段线上电子游戏飞禽走兽调整我们的活动, 保持强壮和健康, 保护我们自己, 并通过保护性距离来尊重彼此,瓦伦蒂说.

对科恩, he is walking an emotional tightrope – trying to find the happy medium between caution and panic.

“现在，我只是打算待在家里，我很小心，”他说. “如果我生病了，它可能真的会伤害我，或者它什么也做不了. 我正试着不被吓到."

Editor's note: Because of the rapidly evolving events surrounding the coronavirus, the facts and advice presented in this story may have changed since publication. 访问的心.Org获取最新报道, and check with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health officials for the most recent guidance.

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