Those who tested positive for COVID-19 during the first wave of the virus have a higher risk of heart attack and stroke, a new study found.
Published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, the study found that unvaccinated people who developed the first strain of COVID-19 were significantly more likely to experience a heart attack, stroke, or death for up to three years after they were infected.
The study, which was supported and funded by the National Institutes of Health, found that people who were infected in the early days of the virus have double the risk of cardiovascular events in comparison to those with no COVID-19 history. Those who had severe cases of COVID-19 are four times more likely to experience a cardiovascular event, the study found.
“This study sheds new light on the potential long-term cardiovascular effects of COVID-19, a still-looming public health threat,” Dr. David Goff, a division director at the NIH, said. “These results, especially if confirmed by longer term follow-up, support efforts to identify effective heart disease prevention strategies for patients who’ve had severe COVID-19. But more studies are needed to demonstrate effectiveness.”
Researchers additionally found that, among people who were hospitalized for COVID-19, those with non-O blood types had more than double the risk of heart attack or stroke.
“Blood type is known to be associated with heart attack and stroke risk,” Dr. Hooman Allayee, the study’s principal investigator, told ABC News. “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.”
What the Study Means for COVID-19 Patients Going Forward
As a result of the study, COVID-19 is now suggested to be “a catastrophic component” of cardiovascular events, Allayee said.
“Cardiovascular mortality trends from 2010 to 2019 were steadily going down,” he told the outlet. “Then, all of a sudden, between 2020 and 2022, 10 years of work [was] completely wiped out because of COVID-19.”
Speaking to the NIH, Allayee added that the study’s “implications for global heart health are significant.”
Going forward, Allayee told the NIH, “The question now is whether or not severe COVID-19 should be considered another risk factor for cardiovascular disease, much like type 2 diabetes or peripheral artery disease, where treatment focused on cardiovascular disease prevention may be valuable.”
When it comes to the best form of prevention going forward, Allayee told ABC News that the study underscored the importance of getting vaccinated.
“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 said. “But immunity wanes over time, which is why you need the boosters. If not, you could be susceptible to getting severe COVID again.”
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The post Early COVID-19 Infections Linked to Higher Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke, Study Finds appeared first on VICE.
