Covid-19: what it means if you have heart or circulatory disease
Updated April 2023
Our medical experts answer questions about how the Covid-19 coronavirus can affect people with heart disease.
Does my heart condition put me at a higher risk from Covid-19?
Most people who catch Covid-19 have mild symptoms and make a full recovery. If you have a heart or circulatory condition, you may be more likely to experience severe complications from Covid-19. Your risk is also higher if you are over 60 years of age.
Vaccines are the best form of protection we have against serious illness from Covid-19. If you have a heart condition that puts you at higher risk from Covid, it is particularly important to stay up to date with any Covid-19 vaccinations that you are offered.
Select a condition for more information:
Need to ask a question?
If you have a heart or circulatory condition, or you care for someone who does, and would like to speak to someone about the Covid-19 coronavirus, you can call our
Heart Helpline or email
[email protected].
More information
I've had surgery on my aortic valve
If you’ve had open heart surgery on your aortic valve in the last three months, you are at higher risk of complications from coronavirus.
If your surgery was more than 3 months ago, you shouldn’t be at a higher risk unless your replacement valve is not working normally, or your heart is not pumping blood normally.
I have angina
If you have angina that is controlled by medicines, and that does not cause you frequent or severe symptoms, this is still coronary heart disease and means you’re at higher risk from coronavirus. This means if you catch coronavirus you are more likely to get seriously ill than other people who don’t have health issues.
If you’re also over 60, or also have lung or kidney disease, your risk increases further.
If your angina limits your daily life or is unpredictable, or you frequently have to use your GTN spray or tablets under the tongue, or is unpredictable, your risk increases further.
If you have microvascular angina (sometimes referred to as cardiac syndrome X) or coronary artery spasm (also called vasospastic angina, variant angina or Prinzmetal angina), then you have heart disease and are classed as higher risk.
I have atrial fibrillation
If you have atrial fibrillation (AF) or another heart rhythm problem, you may be at increased risk of becoming seriously ill from coronavirus . Most doctors think that if your AF is well controlled (you're being treated for the condition and the treatment has lowered your heart rate towards the normal range), your risk is lower.
I have Brugada syndrome or Long QT syndrome
If you have Brugada syndrome or Long QT syndrome, the data does not show that you are at higher risk of coronavirus complications. If you do get coronavirus symptoms (especially a high temperature), you should call 111 and tell them about your heart condition. Let your cardiology team know too, if you can. This is because you might need extra ECGs to monitor your heart, and your heart condition may affect what treatment for Covid-19 is right for you.
It is important to try to bring your temperature down quickly by taking paracetamol, to avoid a very high temperature causing a heart rhythm problem.
I’ve had bypass surgery, or a stent
If you’ve had coronary artery bypass surgery or a stent fitted (also known as an angioplasty or balloon procedure), at any time in the past, this means that you have coronary heart disease. Having coronary heart disease means you are at high risk. This means if you catch coronavirus you are more likely to get seriously ill than other people who don’t have health issues.
If you’re also over 60, or also have lung or kidney disease, or if you’ve had open heart surgery in the past three months, your risk increases further.
I have cardiomyopathy
If you have any type of cardiomyopathy, and it’s causing you heart failure symptoms such as breathlessness or fatigue, then you’re at higher risk from coronavirus. This means if you catch coronavirus, you’re more likely to get seriously ill than other people who don’t have health issues. If you’re also over 60, or your heart failure restricts your daily life, or you’ve been admitted to hospital to treat your heart failure within the last year, then your risk increases further.
I have congenital heart disease
I have diabetes
If you have diabetes (Type 1 or Type 2), you are at higher risk of becoming seriously ill from Covid-19.
Research looking at people who go into hospital with coronavirus has found that those with diabetes are more likely to die, although the risk of dying is still very low.
There is growing evidence that Covid-19 may cause diabetes in some people, or make the condition worse for those who already have it.
It's likely that if your diabetes is well controlled, your risk is lower than if it isn't well controlled, so it's more important than ever to control your diabetes as well as possible. Take your medication as prescribed, eat a good balance of healthy food, and exercise regularly.
I’ve had a heart attack
Anyone who has had a heart attack is at high risk from coronavirus, no matter when your heart attack was. This means if you catch coronavirus you are more likely to get seriously ill than other people who don’t have health issues.
If you’ve had surgery in the last three months, or if you’re also over 60 or have other health problems, your risk increases further.
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I have heart failure
If you have heart failure (including congestive heart failure) that causes symptoms such as breathlessness or tiredness, then you are classed as at higher risk. This means if you catch coronavirus you are more likely to get seriously ill than other people who don’t have health issues. If you’re also over 60, or your heart failure restricts your daily life, or you've needed to see heart failure services regularly, or you’ve been admitted to hospital to treat your heart failure within the last year, then your risk increases further.
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I have a heart murmur
A heart murmur is an unusual sound heard when doctors listen to your heart. Many heart murmurs are “innocent” or harmless, and don’t mean there is anything wrong with your heart. If you have an innocent heart murmur, it does not increase your risk from coronavirus.
Sometimes, heart murmurs are caused by a problem with one of the heart valves. If you have heart valve disease (for example, a leaky or narrowed valve) you are at higher risk from coronavirus – more detail on this is below.
I’ve had heart surgery recently
If you’re still recovering from open heart surgery (where your breastbone is cut open) in the last three months, when you catch Covid you’re at higher risk of getting seriously ill.
I have heart valve disease
Yes, you are at higher risk if you have heart valve disease - for example, if you have narrowed heart valves (stenosis) or a leaky heart valve (regurgitation).
Your risk increases further if your valve disease is severe and causes symptoms (such as if you regularly feel breathless, or you have symptoms from your heart valve problem despite medication), or if you are waiting for a valve repair or replacement).
It’s likely that if you have been told you have mild or moderate valve disease, bicuspid aortic valve, or mitral prolapse that this is less of an increase in risk.
Heart valve disease is linked to a higher risk of a heart infection called endocarditis. If you have a fever it is more likely to be coronavirus than endocarditis as, at the moment, coronavirus is quite common while endocarditis is still rare.
I have high blood pressure (or have been diagnosed with hypertension)
We know that a diagnosis of
high blood pressure (hypertension) is linked to a higher risk of serious illness from Covid-19. This means if you get coronavirus you are more likely to become seriously ill than someone who doesn’t have health problems.
If you have high blood pressure, it's very important you take your medication (including ACE-inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers) as prescribed, to lower your blood pressure.
Most doctors think that your increase in risk is relatively low if
- your blood pressure is well controlled, and
- it hasn’t caused your heart muscle to become thickened, and
- you have no other health conditions or risk factors (such as smoking, obesity or being over 60)
I've had surgery on my mitral valve
If you’ve had open heart surgery on your mitral valve in the last three months, you are at a high risk of complications from coronavirus.
If your surgery was more than 3 months ago, you shouldn’t be at a higher risk unless your replacement valve is not working normally, or your heart is not pumping blood normally.
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I've had myocarditis or pericarditis
If you have previously had myocarditis or pericarditis, and have made a full recovery, there is no evidence that you are at higher risk of becoming seriously ill from coronavirus. If you have had myocarditis and it has led to dilated cardiomyopathy and/or heart failure, you are at increased risk of getting seriously ill if you do get coronavirus.
We know that in some cases coronavirus can lead to myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) or pericarditis (inflammation of the protective layer surrounding the heart). This is not specific to Covid-19 - other viral infections can also lead to myocarditis. If your doctor thinks that you may be suffering from myocarditis or pericarditis related to Covid-19, you are likely to have various tests, such as blood tests, echocardiogram or ECG. You will be given treatment and told what you need to do to have the best chance of recovery.
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I have a pacemaker
Whether or not you are at risk from coronavirus will depend on the underlying heart condition that you have. There is no evidence that the virus itself infects pacemakers or ICDs, or that it causes endocarditis.
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I have a pericardial cyst
If you have a pericardial cyst (a rare, benign cyst you are born with on the outside of your heart) we don’t have any reason to believe that this increases your risk from coronavirus. When we say that having a heart condition puts you at higher risk from coronavirus, this means problems like coronary heart disease, heart failure and having heart surgery – not conditions like pericardial cyst which don’t generally affect your heart. It seems likely that your risk from coronavirus is similar to if you don’t have a pericardial cyst.
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I’ve had a stroke, or vascular dementia, or small vessel disease in the brain
Anyone who has a problem with the blood supply in their brain is at higher risk of becoming seriously ill from coronavirus, no matter how long ago. This may be called cerebrovascular disease and includes a stroke, vascular dementia, and small vessel disease in the brain. This means if you catch coronavirus you are more likely to get seriously ill than other people who don’t have health issues.
Want to get fit and healthy?
Our fortnightly Heart Matters newsletter has expert information on healthy eating, weight loss, delicious recipes and staying active when you have a heart condition. Being overweight can increase your risk from coronavirus - so there's never been a better time to make changes.
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