Waqar Khan, MD: Coronary Heart Disease During COVID-19

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been a perfect storm of factors that could increase the risk of coronary heart disease.

Many across the globe have been forced to give up their exercise regimen at gyms or sports leagues, lapsing on their exercise programs. Also there likely has been an increase in unhealthy eating, with a likelihood of snacking throughout the day and takeout food for meals.

Add those factors to an increase in stress and there might be a lasting impact of the global cardiovascular health.

In an interview with HCPLive®, Waqar Khan, MD, MPH, Founder and President of Lone Star Heart and Vascular Center, explained what some of the treatment gaps are in coronary heart disease and how the COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted cardiovascular health.

Khan recently published a new book called Be Heart Smart featuring real-life patient stories and evidence-based data to give a snapshot on the state of coronary heart disease.

Khan said most of the treatment gaps are in diagnosis, as well as finding a way to treat heart disease without needing to perform major bypasses and surgeries. He said there has been a push for more treatments that reduce these procedures and he expects even more in the future.