A recent study has found that people suffering from long COVID may face a significantly increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, even if their initial COVID-19 infection was mild.
The research, conducted by scientists at Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet and published in eClinicalMedicine, revealed that individuals with long COVID are more likely to experience conditions such as cardiac arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats) and coronary artery disease. Notably, this elevated risk was observed even among those who were not hospitalised during their initial infection.
The study also highlighted gender-based differences. Women with long COVID were found to have more than double the risk of developing cardiovascular issues compared to those without the condition. They were particularly more prone to heart failure and peripheral vascular disease. Men, on the other hand, showed about a one-third higher risk of heart-related complications.
In terms of data, researchers analysed over 1.2 million individuals aged 18 to 65, among whom around 9,000 were diagnosed with long COVID. Over a follow-up period of approximately four years, a noticeably higher percentage of these patients experienced cardiovascular events compared to those without long COVID.
Interestingly, the study did not find a strong link between long COVID and stroke risk. However, experts warn that since many long COVID patients were never hospitalised, their risk of developing secondary conditions like heart disease may go unnoticed without proper follow-up care.
Overall, the findings emphasise that long COVID is not just a lingering illness but a condition that could have serious long-term effects on heart health, even in younger and previously healthy individuals.
