It is estimated that 53% of adults in rich countries already suffered from dyslipidemia before the pandemic; a 29% increase in the incidence of dyslipidemia with COVID would mean that the prevalence of these blood lipid disorders could approach 70%.
One of the lead authors, Dr Gaetano Santulli, professor of medicine and molecular pharmacology at Einstein College, recalls that dyslipidemia is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases or events such as heart attack – or heart attack. myocardium-and cerebrovascular accident (CVA).
The same team has already conducted 2 research studies which had already found that COVID increases the incidence of new cases of high blood pressure (hypertension) and type 2 diabetes. This risk lasts up to 3 years after the diagnosis of COVID. This research also observed a suspicious increase in total cholesterol levels, which warranted further investigation.
The study carried out with more than 200,000 participants assessed the incidence of dyslipidemia during the 3 years preceding the start of the pandemic then during the 3 years of COVID (2020-2022), excluding from the analysis people in whom it was had diagnosed dyslipidemia earlier or who had already received lipid-lowering agents. The analysis finds that:
- the COVID-19 pandemic led to a 29% increase in the risk of dyslipidemia;
- the increase is higher among people aged 65 and over and those suffering from chronic diseases, including diabetes and obesity, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and hypertension (hypertension);
These association results can be considered among the most definitive to date, because the study is one of the only ones, having followed its participants well before the pandemic, to have analyzed data before and after COVID and not less reliable diagnostic data.
How can COVID increase the incidence of dyslipidemia? One possible explanation is the effect of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on the function of endothelial cells, which line the interior of blood vessels and also play a key role in regulating blood lipids.
A second study reveals that COVID is a powerful risk factor for heart attacks and strokes, up to almost 3 years after infection. This same study also suggests that treating dyslipidemia helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in people who have had COVID.
Research continues into the complications of COVID in terms of frequently connected comorbidities, all of which involve endothelial dysfunction, including cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, kidney disease, and obesity.
These results call for monitoring of lipid levels in more vulnerable people who have had COVID. “And perhaps more widely as many people have been infected without knowing it.”
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