Heart attack risk increases 63pc post-Covid, says major American study
BySarah Newey, GLOBAL HEALTH SECURITY CORRESPONDENT
8 February 2022 • 5:47pm
Covid survivors are 63 per cent more likely to suffer a heart attack, according to the “first comprehensive assessment” of cardiovascular complications within a year of recovering from the virus.
In a study in Nature Medicine, researchers in America found the rate of conditions such as heart failure, coronary disease and strokes was “noticeably” higher among those who had been infected with Covid-19 compared to those who had not, even after a mild case.
Experts from Washington University in St Louis analysed the records of more than 150,000 Covid-positive people from a database of United States veterans. They then compared the burden of heart disease in this group with the rate among 11 million people who had never contracted the virus, or used the veterans health system pre-pandemic.
They warned the coronavirus could trigger a secondary health crisis. The risk of experiencing a heart attack, for instance, increased by 63 per cent post-Covid, while the likelihood of suffering from coronary artery disease or a stroke jumped by 72 and 52 per cent respectively.
This was apparent regardless of age, race, sex, or pre-existing conditions – and emerged even in healthy people without a history of cardiovascular disease.
Although the risk of illness rose most significantly among survivors who were hospitalised with Covid-19, there was a “substantial” increase even for those who had a mild infection.
The authors warned the analysis, which focuses on the first year after contracting the virus, demonstrates that the ramifications of Covid-19 can linger “well beyond the acute phase” of an infection.
“Governments and health systems around the world should be prepared to deal with the likely significant contribution of the Covid-19 pandemic to a rise in the burden of cardiovascular diseases,” they wrote.
“Because of the chronic nature of these conditions, they will likely have long-lasting consequences for patients and health systems and also have broad implications on economic productivity and life expectancy.”
Vaccinations 'could reduce risk'
Prof Eric Topol, a senior US physician, said the paper is the “first comprehensive assessment” of the lingering cardiovascular consequences post-Covid, confirming early indications that the virus increases the risk of heart disease.
Paul Hunter, a professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, added that although the paper is robust and the findings concerning, it is likely that the heightened risk of cardiovascular disease will fall as time goes on.
“It’s a bit like smoking,” he told The Telegraph. “When you’re smoking you have a certain increased risk, but it falls the year after you stop - and if you survive the year you have even less risk… we don’t know from this study how long the increased risk of heart disease lasts.”
He added that Covid shots will probably make a major difference, too, as most people included in the study contracted the virus before the rollout of vaccinations.
“It’s plausible that people who’ve had infections after a vaccine would not have such a greater risk afterwards. But we can’t yet say for certain,” Prof Hunter said.
