Are COVID and hypothyroidism related with SVT, AFib, AFuttering, Sinus Tachycardia and the like?

[Nanirightnow]

Tachycardia, SVT AFb, AFluttering, Sinus Tachycardia, COVID, thyroid,

[jeanjeannie50]

I believe Covid can set off heart arrhythmias, but I haven't heard of it causing them long term. I guess a lot more information will be revealed in time.

Hypothyroidism, can make the heart beat slower, but having that condition myself, my arrhythmias have always been fast and I believe it can cause either fast or slow beats. The underactive thyroid drug Levoythroxine taken at too high a dose can cause a fast heart rate too.

Hope this helps.

Jean

[Nanirightnow in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Hi Jean, thanks for your reply. Last Christmas Day I was taken to the hospital under an emergency as I had suddenly after Christmas Eve my heart beating between 185/190 and it was imposible to make it go down to its normal rhythm . As soon as I arrived they though it was a SVT and when they checked my they found that I had COVID notwithstanding I did not have the previous day any fever, any cough , any pain but only a head pain from time to time which I used to have and I didn’t pay attention, because my oxygen saturation was fine.

So, after a normal Christmas Eve I found myself during Christmas Day in a intensive care unit with a supposed SVT plus COVID.

I only had a similar event in August 2019 but only lasted have an huir or even less and I controlled it with a doble dosis of aspirin and that was it. At that time when I was checked by the cardiologist he confirm that I didn’t have cardiovascular clogging at all and that the high palpitation could have been the result of my hypothyroidism and my medication at the time ( Levothyroxine) dosis was reduce . Since then I did have any further similar palpitation until this last Christmas Day.

This last time was totally different at the point I needed to be taken to the hospital and I received an excellent medical attention . As they were not able to bring down my heart beating through the traditional method there was not other option that a cardio version but they started with pharmacological one with adenosine . I was not sedated at all. I was in a critical situation with beating not below 185 and with the uncertainty about how COVID could develop itself .

So, I felt everything . When I was injected with adenosine I felt like an enormous pressure on my chest, first time in my life, and one of a sudden as soon as my heart recovery the normal beat rate I felt a confortable descompresión and I started gradually relaxing and resting .

I was in the hospital under observation two days . They discharged me because they knew that as far as COVID was concern I didn’t have any problem neither in my lungs nor in any other part of my respiratory system and I stay at home a isolated during 14 days meanwhile resting , relaxing and waiting very anxiously for the COVID development to concluded positively and to recover from my heart episode.

Summarizing: the conclusion was that I had sinus tachycardia and that COVID could have been incidental and my hypothyroidism too. Also stress could have contributed to the episode . If I had had cardiovascular problems as most of people of my age ( 71 years old) have, I wouldn’t have overcome a hearth beating like the one I had because it started at home at 4.30 am in the morning while I was sleeping and we reached the hospital two hours after that and they were able to recover my normal beating around 7.30 am. because the danger of blood clogging as a direct result of such wild hearth rhythm .

Pharmacological conversion worked in my case . COVID is gone and I returned to my normal way of life but first of all taking everything more calm and easy because stress management is one of the key. Furthermore I am on Bisoprolol 5 mg and rosusvastatin 5 mg plus my new dosage of levothyroxine 0.50. I was not given the daily aspiring because I didn’t have acute cardio syndrome .

We still have to find out what caused the sinus thaquycardia . It could have been my hypothyroidism and / or my stress and / or COVID , or all three together.

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to Nanirightnow]

Consuming certain food additives can kick my AF off and I've seen others on this forum say the same. For me artificial sweeteners are a sure trigger and I avoid them like the plague.

Lets hope it was covid that caused your erratic heart rate recently. Fingers crossed you will stay ok now.

Jean

[Hidden in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Yes! I was on too my medication and after 25 years of "hypo" I developed thyroid storm, which turned into chf & pvcs & a fib. It was an acute situation with the thyroid but everything else lingered & I had a cardioversion & take meds now.

I have no info to add about covid as I can not get vaccine due to severe reactions to other vaccines.

Be well~

[Singwell]

There's a divergence of opinion on whether or not hypothyroidism can contribute development of AF. Have a look at York Cardiologist YouTube channel if you can and find his talk on links between AF and hypothyroidism. My arrhythmia nurse says there IS a link in that the myocyte cells of the heart are very sensitive to imbalances in our system so it's worth keeping an eye on your levels, especially free T3

[Ppiman]

Many viruses can affect the heart muscle, I believe, but covid is well known for doing so. Do you have both atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter (or do you mean to describe the feeling as "fluttering"). I've had both and found the AFl the worst by a mile. It was hard to treat the tachycardia it produced, and I ended up taking bisoprolol and digoxin, which did the trick. These days I get a mild tachycardia quite often with lots of ectopic beats ("palpitations") and occasional, short-lived AF (as last night!).

Steve