Eddie Large has died at the age of 78 after contracting coronavirus in hospital. His son, Ryan McGinnis, broke the news on Facebook. He wrote: “It is with great sadness that Mum and I need to announce that my dad passed away in the early hours of this morning.”

READ MORE

• Coronavirus symptoms: Five signs you may have already had COVID-19

Like many people who have died of the COVID-19 infection, Eddie had an underlying health condition – heart failure.

Eddie’s son continued: “He had been suffering with heart failure and unfortunately, whilst in hospital, contracted the coronavirus, which his heart was sadly not strong enough to fight.

“Dad had fought bravely for so long. Due to this horrible disease we had been unable to visit him at the hospital but all of the family and close friends spoke to him every day.

“We will miss him terribly and we are so proud of everything he achieved in his career with Syd and know that he was much loved by the millions that watched them each week.”

The British Heart Foundation says having a heart and circulatory condition probably doesn’t make you any more likely to catch coronavirus than anyone else.

But if you have a heart condition it may mean you could get more ill if you catch it.

The charity says some heart patients are considered at extremely high risk of severe illness from coronavirus.

It says you are classed as extremely vulnerable if:

• You have had a transplant at any time, including a heart transplant.
• You are pregnant and have significant heart disease – defined by experts as any of the following: coronary heart disease (if you have symptoms), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (if it affects your heart function), thickening of the heart muscle (left ventricular hypertrophy) caused by high blood pressure, pulmonary arterial hypertension, a narrowed or leaking heart valve if this is moderate or severe, heart failure that affects your left ventricular function, significant congenital heart disease.

The charity advises: “If you are in one of these groups, you should protect yourself by staying at home, and minimising contact with people you live with, for the next 12 weeks. This is called shielding. If this applies to you, you will be contacted directly by the NHS with further advice. If you think you fall into one of these categories but have not received a letter, email or text by Thursday April 2 (today), you should discuss your concerns with your GP or specialist doctor or nurse.”

Even if you are not at extremely high risk, you may still be at particularly high risk because of your heart condition if:

• You have heart disease and you’re over 70
• You have heart disease and lung disease or chronic kidney disease
• You have angina that restricts your daily life or means you have to use your GTN frequently
• Heart failure, especially if it restricts your daily life or you’ve been admitted to hospital to treat your heart failure in the past year
• Heart valve disease that is severe and associated with 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 valve surgery). A heart murmur that does not cause you symptoms doesn’t put you at high risk.
• You’re recovering from recent open-heart surgery in the last three months (including heart bypass surgery)
• Cardiomyopathy (any type) if you have symptoms such as breathlessness, or it limits your daily life, or you’ve been told you have problems with your heart function
• Congenital heart disease (any type) if you also have any of the following: lung disease, pulmonary hypertension, heart failure, you’re over 70, you are pregnant, or if you have complex congenital heart disease (such as Fontan, single ventricle or cyanosis).

READ MORE

• Coronavirus update: Loss of taste ‘isn’t reason to self-isolate’

If you’re in one of these groups, the advice is the same as for everyone in the UK – stay at home apart from essential needs.

How do you know if you have coronavirus heart disease?

The most common symptom of coronary heart disease is chest pain.

The NHS says you can also have other symptoms such as heart palpitations and unusual greatness.

Some people may not have any symptoms before they’re diagnosed.

How do you know if you have coronavirus?

The two main symptoms of coronavirus to look out for are:

A high temperature – feeling hot to touch on your chest o back

A new, continuous cough – coughing a lot for more than an hour or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours.

If you think you have the symptoms of coronavirus you should use the 111 online coronavirus service to find out what to do. (https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19/)

Source: Read Full Article