Having COVID-19 doubles long-term risk of heart attack, stroke, new Clinic study suggests

CLEVELAND, Ohio — People who survive COVID-19 are twice as likely to suffer a fatal heart attack, stroke or death, suggests new research led by the Cleveland Clinic and the University of Southern California.

The increased risk lasted for up to three years after the COVID-19 diagnosis, the Clinic said in a news release.

The risk was significantly higher for patients who were hospitalized for COVID-19, and more of a determinant than a previous history of heart disease, researchers said.

The results could translate into a rise in cardiovascular disease globally," said co-senior study author Dr. Stanley Hazen, chair of cardiovascular and metabolic sciences at the Clinic.

The findings also suggest that the long-term risk associated with COVID-19 "continues to pose a significant public health burden" and that further investigation is needed, according to the authors.

The Clinic's COVID-19 study was published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.

Researchers used UK Biobank data from 10,005 people who had COVID-19, and 217,730 people who were not infected. Infections and non-infections occurred from February to December 2020.

The data highlighted an association between elevated cardiovascular risk and blood type.

People with a blood type other an O (such as A, B or AB) were twice as likely to have a cardiovascular problems after COVID-19 than those with an O-blood type, the Clinic study suggests.

Previous research has suggested that people who have A, B or AB blood types were also more susceptible to contracting COVID-19.

"The association uncovered by our research indicates a potential interaction between the virus and the piece of our genetic code that determines blood type and signals the need for further investigation," Hazen said. "A better understanding of what COVID-19 does at the molecular level may potentially teach us about pathways linked to cardiovascular disease risk."

Julie Washington covers healthcare for cleveland.com. Read previous stories at this link.