By EMS1 Staff
CLEVELAND — People who have had COVID-19 face twice the risk of suffering a heart attack, stroke, or death for up to three years after their diagnosis, according to new research from Cleveland Clinic and the University of Southern California. The study, published in “Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology,” also found that this heightened risk varied by blood type.
The analysis revealed that patients who contracted COVID-19 were twice as likely to experience major cardiovascular events compared to those who had never been infected. The risk was particularly high among those hospitalized for COVID-19, regardless of prior heart disease history. Individuals with A, B, or AB blood types were also found to have double the likelihood of a cardiovascular event post-infection, compared to those with O blood types.
Dr. Stanley Hazen, chair of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences at Cleveland Clinic, emphasized the global implications of the findings.
“Over a billion people have experienced COVID-19. The findings reported are not a small effect in a small subgroup,” Hazen said.
The study analyzed data from 10,005 COVID-19 patients and over 217,000 non-infected individuals using the UK Biobank, examining cases from February to December 2020. The researchers found no genetic variants directly responsible for the increased cardiovascular risks, suggesting blood type played a significant role.
This research builds on previous studies showing that non-O blood types are more susceptible to COVID-19 infection and raises questions about whether more aggressive heart disease prevention strategies should be tailored to genetic profiles.
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