A new study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute highlighted the long-term cardiovascular dangers associated with COVID-19 infections.
Research now reveals that people infected early in the pandemic face an elevated risk of heart attacks, strokes, and even death, with risks lasting up to three years post-infection, SciTech Daily reported.
Those with severe cases may see nearly quadruple the cardiovascular risk, comparable to the increased risk associated with diabetes.
The study, appearing in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, used data from over 10,000 individuals in the UK Biobank.
Researchers found that COVID-19 patients had double the likelihood of cardiovascular events compared to those never infected, and in severe cases, this risk increased nearly fourfold. The findings underscore the need for enhanced cardiovascular prevention strategies, especially for those with severe infection histories.
A surprising component of the study is the connection between blood type and cardiovascular risk. Researchers observed that patients with blood types A, B, or AB faced a higher likelihood of heart attack and stroke than those with type O, who appeared to have a reduced risk.
This possible genetic relationship opens new questions about how genetic factors may influence the severity of COVID-19’s impact on the heart.
Notably, the research indicated that pre-existing heart disease didn’t fully account for the elevated risks. The study found that COVID-19 infection raised cardiovascular risks to levels similar to those caused by Type 2 diabetes.
These findings suggest severe COVID-19 may need to be considered a new risk factor for cardiovascular disease, indicating a potential shift in how heart disease prevention is approached.
However, there are limitations.
All study participants were unvaccinated and predominantly white, which may limit the generalizability of the findings. Future research will be crucial to determine if vaccinated populations face similar risks and if these results hold in more diverse groups.
Ongoing studies are essential to understand if the increased cardiovascular risk remains for those infected more recently.
As COVID-19 continues to affect global health, this research emphasizes the broader impacts beyond respiratory issues. The potential cardiovascular aftershocks of COVID-19 highlight the need for extended monitoring and prevention strategies, especially among patients with severe infection histories.
This article was written with the assistance of artificial intelligence.