COVID patients at risk for developing 20 different heart diseases one year later

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Patients who contracted coronavirus prior to vaccination are at risk for developing up to 20 different cardiovascular diseases even if they did not require hospitalization, a new study suggests.  

Study authors analyzed over 150,000 veterans infected with COVID-19 between March 2020 and January 2021. The sample was 90% men, 70% white with an average age of 60. Scientists estimated the risk they had of developing a heart condition one year after being infected

Results showed people who recovered from the virus were at 1.5 times the risk of having a stroke, 1.7 times more likely to experience heart failure, and nearly 2.5 times more likely to have a heart attack compared to people who did not get infected during the same timeframe. These results remained significant regardless of age, obesity, and smoking habits. 

Other projected long-term cardiovascular conditions included blood clots, irregular heartbeat, and heart inflammation. 

The study was published in the latest issue of Nature Medicine.