Risk of new heart problems raised after COVID-19
pharmafile | February 11, 2022 | News story | Medical Communications |Â Â Â
A large study has found that long after recovery from COVID-19, people continue to face significantly higher risks for new heart problems, according to Reuters.
Researchers at the US Department of Veterans Affairs compared rates of new cardiovascular problems in 153,760 individuals infected with the coronavirus before vaccines were available, 5.6 million people who did not catch the virus, and an additional 5.9 million people whose data was collected before the pandemic. An average of one year after their recovery from the acute phase of the infection, the COVID-19 survivors had a 63% higher risk for heart attack, a 69% higher risk for problematic irregular heart rhythm, a 52% higher risk of stroke, and a 72% higher risk of heart failure. The survivors also had a nearly three times higher risk of a potentially fatal blood clot in the lungs compared with the other two groups.
The risks of heart problems were high even in people who had mild COVID-19, and did not need to be hospitalised for it. Al-Aly told Reuters: “It really spared no one. People with COVID-19 should pay attention to their health and seek medical care if they experience symptoms like chest pain, chest pressure, palpitation, swelling in the legs, etc.”
A new study has also recently suggested that COVID-19 vaccines using mRNA technology do not produce any extra short-term side effects in cancer patients. Earlier studies have found vaccine hesitancy among cancer patients, but researchers found that the impact of COVID-19 is “compounded for patients with cancer who have refused vaccination. Our data, in combination with those from other sources, show that the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine is well tolerated by patients with a history of cancer, including those receiving active treatment.”
Lina Adams
