Research links COVID-19 infections during the first wave to an increased risk of stroke and heart attack

Research links COVID-19 infections during the first wave to an increased risk of stroke and heart attack

October 13, 2024,

Covid 19

As to a recent study, those who were diagnosed with severe COVID-19 infections during the initial wave of the pandemic may have twice the chance of experiencing a heart attack or stroke.

The increased risk may persist for up to three years, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and published this week in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.

The long-term cardiovascular hazards for unvaccinated individuals infected with the virus during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 and 2020 were the focus of research.

The study discovered that everyone who has ever been sick with COVID-19 had a twofold increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and mortality compared to someone who has never had the virus. This risk increases four times for those who needed to be hospitalized.

Covid 19 vaccine

The study found that the heightened risk remained for almost three years following the initial infection and posed a substantial cardiovascular risk similar to type 2 diabetes.

ABC News was informed by the study's primary investigator, Dr. Hooman Allayee, that the results "suggest severe COVID-19 infection as a catastrophic component." "The trends for cardiovascular mortality decreased steadily between 2010 and 2019." Then, all of a sudden, COVID-19 completely erased ten years of progress between 2020 and 2022."

According to the study, persons with blood types O were less likely to experience cardiovascular problems with COVID-19, whereas those with blood types A, B, and AB were more susceptible.

Blood type has been linked to an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes, according to Allayee, a professor of population and public health sciences at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine. "If your blood type is A, B or AB, the virus is more likely to infect you and makes these blood cells open to viral entry."

The UK Biobank is a sizable medical database that mostly contains information from older, wealthier, and predominately white participants. The study examined individuals from this database. Still, comparable research

"No matter what vaccine you got, just six months after the vaccination or the booster, the chance of heart attack and stroke went down," he stated. "But, immunity deteriorates with time, which is why the boosters are necessary. If not, you can be vulnerable to contracting severe COVID once more."

Anybody who has ever experienced a severe COVID-19 infection should talk to their healthcare provider about the possible heightened health risks brought on by the virus, especially if they needed to stay in the hospital. Allayee became anxious.

"Talk to your doctor and start the discussion with your physician," suggested the doctor. "We need to start talking about it because it isn't going away. Maintain your immunizations and booster shots, and schedule routine checkups."