According to a study led by an international team of researchers, even mild cases of COVID-19 increased artery stiffness in young adults, leading to long-term harmful effects on heart health. Arterial stiffness is a marker associated with aging and the function of our arteries. It also refers to a reduced ability of the arteries to expand and contract in response to changes in blood pressure and is associated with heart disease.
The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, showed that age and time since COVID infection is associated with aging of the arteries. The researchers found that in people who were diagnosed with mild Covid, the disease affected arterial and central cardiac function two to three months after infection. Side effects include stiffer and more dysfunctional arteries that can lead to the development of cardiovascular disease.
“We were surprised to see such a decline in vascular health, which worsened over time after COVID-19 infection. Typically, you would expect inflammation to subside over time after infection, and all expect physiological functions to return to normal or healthy levels,” said co-author Dr Maria Parisio from the University of Portsmouth in the UK.
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“We can only speculate without further investigation as to what causes this phenomenon, but emerging evidence suggests that it stems from Covid-19 triggering an auto-immune process that causes the vasculature to deteriorate,” he said. Said.
While Covid-19 is associated with a type of acute heart failure and vascular dysfunction, the long-term consequences of the disease on vascular health still need to be explored.
Study participants were monitored between October 2019 and April 2022. Arterial stiffness was measured in a group of healthy volunteers before the pandemic. These people were called back after a mild Covid attack to take the same measurements.
Most were young, below 40 years of age and healthy. Only 9 percent of the group had high blood pressure, and none had high cholesterol. Two were diabetic, and 78 percent did not smoke. The group was also roughly split between men (56 percent) and women (44 percent).
“Given the number of people infected with Covid-19 around the world, the fact that the infection may have detrimental effects on cardiovascular health in young people who had a mild form of the disease warrants close monitoring,” the chief said author Professor Ana Geroncic. Partition in Croatia.
“The question is whether this harmful effect is irreversible or permanent, and if not, how long it lasts,” Jeronsik said.
According to the researchers, the study, although small, supports predictions among vascular physiologists that the COVID-19 infection will lead to an increase in cardiovascular disease in the future.
However, they recommended further research to strengthen understanding of the causes and contributing factors.