A history of COVID-19 can double the long-term risk of heart attack, stroke or death, according to a new study from the Cleveland Clinic and the University of Southern California.
Researchers analyzed data from 10,000 people treated for COVID-19 in 2020 and roughly 200,000 people who were not infected. Doctors followed the health progress of the subjects for three years.
The study, published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology Journal, found that patients with any type of COVID-19 infection were twice as likely to experience a major cardiac event for up to three years after their initial diagnosis than those with no history of COVID.
The risk of developing cardiovascular disease quadrupled in patients who were hospitalized for COVID-19.
The risks persisted for three years and held true even when doctors factored in conditions like diabetes and a history of heart disease, which would make patients more vulnerable to cardiac events.
None of the factors proved to be drivers of the increased cardiovascular events observed post-COVID-19 infection.
“Worldwide, over a billion people have already experienced COVID-19. The findings reported are not a small effect in a small subgroup,” said study co-author Stanley Hazen, M.D., Ph.D., chair of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences in Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute. “The results included nearly a quarter million people and point to a finding of global healthcare importance that promises to translate into a rise in cardiovascular disease globally.”
Researchers also noted a clear correlation between elevated risk and blood type.
Data analysis revealed that COVID-19 patients with A, B, or AB blood types were twice as likely to experience a major cardiac event than those with an O-blood type.
“The association uncovered by our research indicates a potential interaction between the virus and the piece of our genetic code that determines blood type and signals the need for further investigation,” Hazen said. “A better understanding of what COVID-19 does at the molecular level may potentially teach us about pathways linked to cardiovascular disease risk.”
Roughly 55% of Americans and 60% of the world’s population have a non-O blood type.
These findings build on previous research that suggests people with type O blood may be less likely to contract COVID-19 or suffer severe symptoms related to the illness
COVID-19 can adversely affect the heart in a number of ways.
First, the virus causes inflammation throughout the body, putting pressure on blood vessels and increasing the risk of blood clots which can lead to heart attack or stroke. COVID has also been linked to arrhythmia and myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle itself, which can damage the organ and cause cardiac arrest.
Earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an alarming increase in the number of cardiovascular-related deaths — reversing a 10-year downward trend.
The two-year period between 2020 and 2022 saw a 9.3% increase, a stark contrast from the 8.9% decline from 2010 to 2019.
As Hazen noted, “These findings reveal while it’s an upper respiratory tract infection, COVID-19 has a variety of health implications and underscores that we should consider history of prior COVID-19 infection when formulating cardiovascular disease preventive plans and goals.”
