Study Links COVID-19 to Long-Term Cardiovascular Risks

A new study suggests that COVID-19 could pose significant risks for heart attacks and strokes, potentially extending up to three years following an initial infection. Published in the medical journal Atherosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, this research utilized data from the U.K. Biobank, involving medical records from around 250,000 individuals.

Within this dataset, researchers focused on over 11,000 people who had contracted COVID-19 in 2020, with nearly 3,000 requiring hospitalization. These individuals were compared to a control group of over 222,000 people who had no history of COVID-19 during the same period.

Findings indicate that individuals who contracted COVID-19 in 2020 experienced double the risk of major cardiac events, including heart attacks, strokes, or death, within nearly three years post-infection. The risk was even higher—over three times greater—for those hospitalized due to COVID-19, akin to the risk levels seen with conditions like diabetes or peripheral artery disease.

Leading the research, Dr. Stanley Hazen from the Cleveland Clinic noted, “There’s no sign of attenuation of that risk,” underscoring the lasting impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular health. Meanwhile, Dr. Patricia Best from the Mayo Clinic commented on the unique nature of COVID-19, stating, “This is just such a large effect, and I think it’s just because of how different COVID is than some of the other infections.”

Dr. Hooman Allayee, another study author from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, explained that the biological mechanisms driving these prolonged cardiovascular risks remain unclear. Previous studies have demonstrated the coronavirus’s ability to infect cells lining blood vessels and its presence within arterial plaques.

Further insights into genetic factors revealed that blood type might influence cardiovascular risk, with individuals of certain non-O blood types—A, B or AB—exhibiting heightened susceptibility to COVID-19 and subsequent heart complications.

Encouragingly, individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 who were taking low-dose aspirin did not show an increased likelihood of heart attack or stroke, offering a potential mitigating factor according to Dr. Hazen.

The study did not address the impact of COVID-19 vaccinations on cardiovascular risk, though Hazen hypothesized their protective potential given their role in reducing COVID-19 severity.