A history of COVID-19 can double the risk of heart attack, stroke or death according to new research led by Cleveland Clinic and the University of Southern California.
The study found that people with any type of COVID-19 infection were twice as likely to have a major cardiac event, such as heart attack, stroke or even death, for up to three years after diagnosis. The risk was significantly higher for patients hospitalized for COVID-19 and more of a determinant than a previous history of heart disease.
Further genetic analysis also revealed individuals with a blood type other than O (such as A, B or AB) were twice as likely to experience an adverse cardiovascular event after COVID-19 than those with an O-blood type.
Published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, the researchers used UK Biobank data from 10,005 people who had COVID-19 and 217,730 people who did not get infected between February to December 2020.
Certain genetic variants are already linked to coronary artery disease, heart attack and COVID-19 infection. The researchers completed a genetic analysis to see if any of these known genetic variants contribute to elevated coronary artery disease risk after COVID-19. None of the known genetic variants were drivers of the enhanced cardiovascular events observed post COVID-19. Instead, the data highlighted an association between elevated risk and blood type.
