How Infections Can Put Extra Stress on the Heart

It’s complicated. But when you get sick with the flu, COVID-19 or RSV, your immune system kicks into high gear. The goal is to fight off the infection. But this same response can also put extra stress on your heart and blood vessels. For example:

• Fever and dehydration can quicken your heartbeat and may cause either a drop or spike in blood pressure.
• Inflammation, which is your body’s way of fighting infection, can affect the blood vessels and lead to blood clots and block arteries.
• Lower oxygen levels – lung infections can make breathing harder – may force your heart to work harder to deliver enough oxygen to the body.

Sometimes the immune system can go into overdrive, which can stress the heart even more. In rare cases, infections can directly damage the heart muscle (myocarditis), which can lead to long-term heart damage, even in people who were previously healthy.