Carried COVID-19 doubles the risk of heart attack, stroke and death in the long term

A new study from the Cleveland Clinic and the University of Southern California has found that a history of COVID-19 disease can double the risk of heart attack, stroke or death.

Source: Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (2024). DOI: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.124.321001

Key findings of the study

• Doubled risk of cardiovascular events: People with any form of COVID-19 are twice as likely to experience serious cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke or death within three years of diagnosis.
• Increased risk in hospitalised patients: The risk is significantly higher for patients who have been hospitalised with COVID-19, and this factor is more significant than the presence of pre-existing heart disease.
• Effect of blood group: Genetic analyses showed that people with blood type A, B or AB were twice as likely to experience adverse cardiovascular events after having COVID-19 compared with people with blood type O.

Study details

The study, published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, was based on data from the British Biobank. Data from 10,005 people who had COVID-19 and 217,730 people who were not infected with the virus between February and December 2020 were analysed.

Stanley Hazen, MD and co-principal investigator of the study, said:

Globally, more than one billion people have already had COVID-19. Our findings have global public health implications and point to a potential increase in cardiovascular disease worldwide.

Role of genetics and blood type

• Genetic factors: Somegenetic variants have previously been associated with coronary heart disease, heart attacks and COVID-19 infection. However, in this study, these known genetic variants do not explain the increased risk of cardiovascular events after COVID-19.
• Blood group: The study found an association between increased risk and blood type. People with blood types A, B, or AB are more susceptible to both COVID-19 infection and subsequent cardiovascular complications.

Hooman Allai, PhD, of the University of Southern California School of Medicine and co-principal investigator of the study, added:

Our findings indicating a particularly high risk of heart attack and stroke in patients with blood types A, B or AB after COVID-19 have meaningful clinical implications. Given that 60% of the world population has these blood types, our study raises important questions about whether more aggressive cardiovascular risk reduction interventions should be considered based on each individual's genetic characteristics.

These results underscore the need to consider a history of COVID-19 when forming cardiovascular disease prevention plans," Dr Hazen stressed.