A British study reveals worrying information about the long-term effects of Covid-19. According to researchers, the virus could increase the risk of serious cardiovascular problems for several years after infection.
Numerous studies have already shown that Covid-19 increases the risk of serious cardiovascular complications during the first month following infection. But according to the results of a study published in the medical journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biologyinfection could increase the long-term risk of myocardial infarction, stroke and death.
These findings are based on data from more than 220,000 UK adults. The results are striking: people who contracted Covid-19 in 2020 had twice the risk in the following three years. For those who had been hospitalized, this risk was multiplied by four.
“Remarkably, in some cases the increased risk was almost as high as that of a known cardiovascular risk factor, such as type 2 diabetes.“, explain the authors.
An impact even without a history
Even more surprising, even people without a history of heart disease were not spared. Those hospitalized had a higher risk (+21%) than people already suffering from cardiovascular diseases but who had not contracted the virus.
Blood type, an unexpected factor
Extensive genetic analysis has revealed another unexpected risk factor: people with a blood type other than O (such as A, B or AB) are twice as likely to experience an adverse cardiovascular event after Covid-19 infection than those of group O.
“With more than a billion people infected worldwide, this could explain the increase in cardiovascular disease observed recently,” notes Dr. Stanley Hazen, chairman of the department of cardiovascular and metabolic sciences at the Lerner Research Institute at the Cleveland Clinic.
Faced with these findings, researchers are wondering: should severe Covid-19 be considered a new cardiovascular risk factor? “People who have contracted Sars-Cov 2 could therefore benefit from preventive care“, they conclude.
