Many years after recovering from Covid-19, even after a year, people are at significantly increased risk for new and serious heart problems, according to a major new US scientific study, the largest of its kind to date. .
The researchers, who published the paper in the journal Nature Medicine, according to Science and Reuters, analyzed and compared data on the occurrence of new cardiovascular problems in 153,760 people infected with coronavirus, 5.6 millions who had not been infected and another 5.9 million before the pandemic.
One year after recovering from the acute phase of Covid-19 infection, those who recovered had a 63% higher risk of heart attack, 69% of cardiac arrhythmia, 52% of stroke, 72% of heart failure and almost three times the risk of potentially fatal thrombus blood in the lungs, compared to those who had not been infected and became ill with coronavirus.
The increased risk affects both sexes, young and old, smokers and non-smokers, diabetics and non-diabetics, obese and non-obese. Also, those who had taken even relatively mild Covid-19 without the need for hospitalization, although the likelihood of heart problems later is higher for those who had more severe Covid-19.
“The findings are impressive … worse than expected,” said Eric Topol, a cardiologist at the Sripps Research Institute. These are all very serious disorders. If one thought Covid was like the flu, the new indisputable data show that it certainly is not. This is probably the most impressive study on the long Covid-19 we have seen to date. “
“In the post-Covid era, Covid-19 may be the biggest risk factor for cardiovascular problems,” said Cleveland Clinic cardiologist Larissa Teresenko.
“There is clear evidence of long-term damage to the heart and blood vessels. “Similar things can happen to the brain and other organs, leading to symptoms characteristic of the long Covid-19,” said lead researcher and clinical epidemiologist Ziyad Al-Ali of the University of Washington in St. Louis.
Exactly by what mechanism the coronavirus causes long-term damage to the heart and blood vessels remains a controversial and controversial topic among scientists. One possible cause is inflammation of the epithelial cells inside the cardiovascular system, another is the direct attack of the virus on the myocardium and a third is the increase in cytokine levels.
Researchers have warned that millions of people who have taken Covid-19 may develop cardiovascular problems in the coming years. They stressed that those who have had coronavirus in the past should take care of their health and consult a doctor if they experience symptoms such as pain or pressure in the chest, palpitations (which did not exist before), swelling in the legs, etc.
A second US scientific study, which looked at data from 133,366 people over the age of 65 and published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), found that almost one in three (32%) elderly people over the age of 65 who became ill by Covid-19 in 2020 then developed at least one new health problem (heart, kidneys, lungs, liver, mental health, etc.) that required medical attention. Common problems were respiratory failure, fatigue, hypertension and mental disorders.
Links to scientific publications: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-022-01689-3 and https://www.bmj.com/content/376/bmj-2021068414
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