Research highlights:
- An analysis of UK Biobank health data, including adults who had mild to severe COVID-19 infection before a vaccine was available, found that during the nearly three-year follow-up period after infection with COVID-19, found that these adults had an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and death.
- The increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and death associated with COVID-19 was found to be comparable to cardiovascular risk factors such as type 2 diabetes, peripheral artery disease, and cardiovascular disease.
- This study found that having a non-O blood type (A, B, AB) was associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke in patients with COVID-19, before a vaccine was available. It turned out.
- The researchers noted that the findings suggest that people infected with the new coronavirus may benefit from preventive cardiovascular disease treatments to reduce their risk of future cardiovascular disease outcomes.
Embargoed until Wednesday, October 9, 2024, 4:00 a.m. CT/5:00 a.m. ET.
DALLAS, October 9, 2024 — UK Biobank data analysis finds that COVID-19 can increase risk of heart attack, stroke and death from any cause for up to three years, regardless of cardiovascular disease It turns out that there is a sex. New study published today in the American Heart Association peer-reviewed journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (ATVB).
“We found long-term cardiovascular health risks associated with COVID-19, particularly among patients with more severe COVID-19 infections requiring hospitalization,” said study lead author and University of Southern California MPH, doctoral candidate. said James Hilser. Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles. “This increased risk of heart attack and stroke persisted for three years after COVID-19. Remarkably, in some cases, the increased risk is associated with conditions such as type 2 diabetes and peripheral artery disease. It was almost as high as having known cardiovascular risk factors.”
Previous studies have shown that COVID-19 increases the risk of serious cardiovascular complications within the first month of infection. The study looked at how long the increased risk lasted and whether the risk decreased after people recovered from COVID-19.
Researchers have identified around 8,000 people in the UK who tested positive for the coronavirus between February 1 and December 31, 2020, including around 2,000 people who tested positive for the virus in hospital. They looked at the health and genetic data of more than 10,000 adults in biobanks. For comparison, a group of more than 200,000 adults at UK Biobank with no previous coronavirus infection were also studied over the same period. None of the participants were vaccinated at the time of their infection, as COVID-19 vaccines were not yet available in 2020.
The analysis revealed the following:
- During a nearly three-year follow-up period, the risk of heart attack, stroke, and death was more than twice as high among adults who contracted the coronavirus and nearly four times as likely among adults who were hospitalized with the virus. A group with no history of infection with the new coronavirus infection.
- People hospitalized with COVID-19 who do not have cardiovascular disease or type 2 diabetes are at greater risk of heart attack, stroke, and death than those who have cardiovascular disease and do not have COVID-19. It was 21% higher.
- There was a significant genetic interaction between non-O blood type and hospitalization due to COVID-19. People with severe COVID-19 infections had an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, but those with non-O blood types (blood types A, B, or AB) were at even higher risk. It was expensive.
- The risk of heart attack or stroke was about 65% higher for adults with non-O blood types than adults with type O blood. Preliminary analyzes did not show that Rh (positive or negative) blood type interacted with severe COVID-19 infection, the authors noted.
“More than a billion people around the world have already experienced COVID-19, and the reported findings are not small effects in small subgroups,” said co-senior study author and Cleveland -Stanley Hazen, M.D., director of cardiovascular and metabolic science and co-chair of preventive cardiology in the clinic’s Lerner Institute, said. . “The results include nearly 250,000 people and represent a finding of global medical importance that may explain the rise in cardiovascular disease worldwide.”
Research details, background and design:
- The health data came from the UK Biobank, a large study of 503,325 adults living in the UK who were between 40 and 69 years of age at enrollment between 2006 and 2010. Detailed health and biomedical information was collected for participants enrolled in. The UK National Health Service and UK general practitioners (similar to US primary care doctors).
- The analysis included health data for 15,005 adults who tested positive for COVID-19 or were hospitalized with COVID-19 between February 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020. is included. UK Biobank has an additional 217,730 associates who were not infected with coronavirus, including -19 cases during the same period. For analyses, all participants were matched as closely as possible regarding demographics and similar health status.
- Long-term risks of major adverse cardiovascular events (heart attack, stroke, and all-cause death) were assessed up to October 31, 2022, approximately three years later.
“This interesting paper is actually two studies rolled into one,” said John C., co-chair of the American Heart Association’s COVID-19 Registry Committee and director of quality and value in the Division of Cardiology. said Director Sandeep R. Das, MD, MPH, MBA, FAHA. For UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. “First, the authors show that being hospitalized with COVID-19 is a marker of increased cardiovascular risk, similar to having a previous diagnosis of cardiovascular disease.” Although it is very difficult to prove a direct causal relationship with studies that only analyze historical data, a history of previous hospitalization due to the new coronavirus should be taken into consideration even if there is no history of CVD. This finding is important because it suggests that severe COVID-19 infections have a direct impact on the vascular system. “Whether or not that is the case is also an interesting area of research,” Das said.
“The second ‘study’ in this paper looked at the relationship between ABO blood type and COVID-19 outcome. They show that something close to the genetic home of ABO blood types is associated with varying degrees of susceptibility to the coronavirus. This is really interesting, and I’m looking forward to seeing scientists figure out the specific pathway. ”
The study had some limitations, including data from patients who were infected with the original strain of the coronavirus before vaccines were widely available in 2021. Furthermore, the researchers pointed out that the information on drug use in UK Biobank was not initially unique. The date of the 2020 pandemic or the date the patient contracted the coronavirus. Additionally, the majority of UK Biobank participants are white, so additional research is needed to confirm that these results apply to people from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.
“Our findings highlight the long-term cardiovascular effects of COVID-19. Given the increased risk of heart attack, stroke and death, the question is whether CVD The question is whether severe COVID-19 infection should be considered as another risk factor for CVD, similar to type 2 diabetes and peripheral artery disease, which require treatment focused on prevention.” said author Hooman Alaiy, Ph.D., professor of population sciences and public health sciences at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. “These results suggest that people who have previously been infected with COVID-19 may benefit from preventive care for cardiovascular disease.”
Co-authors, disclosure information, and funding sources are listed in the manuscript.
The study, published in the scientific journal of the American Heart Association, is peer-reviewed. The statements and conclusions in each manuscript are solely the opinions of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of the Society. The Association makes no representations or warranties regarding its accuracy or reliability. The association is primarily funded by individuals. Foundations and corporations (including pharmaceuticals, device manufacturers, and other companies) also make contributions, which help fund specific programs and events for the association. The Society has strict policies in place to ensure that these relationships do not influence scientific content. Revenues from pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, device manufacturers, health insurance companies, and overall financial information for the association are available. here.
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