Health
Heart attack and stroke risk may rise after COVID infection, study finds
A prior COVID infection could make you more susceptible to heart attack, stroke or death, according to a new study from Cleveland Clinic and the University of Southern California.
The risk of a major cardiac event doubled for the three-year period following a positive COVID test, researchers found — even for those with no history of heart disease.
The researchers analyzed data from 10,005 people 50 and older who had COVID and 217,730 who did not contract the virus, pulled from UK Biobank between February and December 2020.
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The study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health, was published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.
A prior COVID infection could make you more susceptible to heart attack, stroke or death, according to a new study. (iStock)
“These studies add to the growing body of data showing that COVID-19 infection can enhance risk for experiencing adverse cardiac events over time,” co-senior study author Stanley Hazen, MD, PhD, chair of cardiovascular and metabolic sciences in Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute and co-section head of preventive cardiology, told Fox News Digital.
The researchers were surprised to find that the increased risk remained the same over the three-year period.
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“The twofold increased risk observed in year one following infection was also seen in year two and even year three,” Hazen noted.
“This was seen in all subjects, independent of age, sex or risk factors for cardiac disease.”
Those who had more adverse symptoms experienced a slightly higher risk than those with milder symptoms.
The researchers were surprised to find that the increased risk remained the same over the three-year period. (iStock)
“Specifically, subjects who had severe COVID-19 infection and required hospitalization were at even higher risk of experiencing a major adverse cardiac event (MACE=myocardial infarction, stroke or death) over the ensuing three years of follow-up,” Hazen said.
Blood type also appeared to impact the risk, the study found.
People with a blood type other than O — such as A, B or AB — had double the risk of a major cardiac event than those with an O blood type.
“This study confirms what many of us have seen anecdotally over the past five years.”
Those with O blood have also been shown to have a higher likelihood of getting a COVID infection.
“Given our collective observations and that 60% of the world’s population have these non-O blood types, our study raises important questions about whether more aggressive cardiovascular risk reduction efforts should be considered, possibly by taking into consideration an individual’s genetic makeup,” Hazen said in a press release.
Based on these findings, the researchers recommend that medical providers consider COVID-19 as a risk factor for heart disease. (iStock)
Dr. Bradley Serwer, a cardiologist and chief medical officer at VitalSolution, a Cincinnati, Ohio-based company that offers cardiovascular and anesthesiology services to hospitals nationwide, was not involved in the research but commented on the “interesting” findings.
“This study confirms what many of us have seen anecdotally over the past five years,” he told Fox News Digital.
“Since the outbreak began, we have seen cardiac complications to include inflammation of the heart, a propensity to form blood clots and an increase in abnormal heart rhythms, particularly atrial fibrillation.”
“The lead author, Dr. Hazen, has some fascinating theories that I assume will be tested in the future.”
Reducing the risk
Based on these findings, Hazen recommends that medical providers consider COVID-19 as a risk factor for heart disease.
“Heart disease is the number one killer worldwide,” he noted.
People with a blood type other than O — such as A, B or AB — had double the risk of a major cardiac event than those with an O blood type. (iStock)
“With over a billion individuals worldwide having experienced COVID-19 thus far, these studies argue that this is not a small problem — and I hope this serves as a reminder to address global preventive cardiovascular risk-reducing efforts.”
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Among those efforts are monitoring cholesterol levels and blood pressure, adopting an exercise program, and being more mindful of diet.
Doctors recommend monitoring cholesterol levels and blood pressure, adopting an exercise program, and being more mindful of diet to reduce risk. (iStock)
“Please let this study be a reminder — if you are 50 or older and have experienced COVID, ask if you can do anything further to reduce your cardiac risk,” Hazen advised.
“Also, make sure to stay current with your COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters.”
More research needed, experts agree
The study did have some limitations, experts acknowledged.
“These findings signal the need for further investigation,” Hazen said.
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“A better understanding of what COVID-19 does at the molecular level may potentially teach us about pathways linked to cardiovascular disease risk.”
Serwer agreed, adding, “This study shows an association, but does not prove causality.”
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A new report by the American Heart Association (AHA) included some troubling predictions for the future of women’s health.
The forecast, published in the journal Circulation on Wednesday, projected increases in various comorbidities in American females by 2050.
More than 59% of women were predicted to have high blood pressure, up from less than 49% currently.
The review also projected that more than 25% of women will have diabetes, compared to about 15% today, and more than 61% will have obesity, compared to 44% currently.
As a result of these risk factors, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7%.
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke in women is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7% by 2050. (iStock)
Not all trends were negative, as unhealthy cholesterol prevalence is expected to drop to about 22% from more than 42% today, the report stated.
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Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a cardiologist and founder of Step One Foods in Minnesota, commented on these “jarring findings.”
“The fact that on our current trajectory, cardiometabolic disease is projected to explode in women within one generation should be a huge wake-up call,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“Hypertension, diabetes, obesity — these are all major risk factors for heart disease, and we are already seeing what those risks are driving. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, eclipsing all other causes of death, including breast cancer.”
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. and around the world. (iStock)
Klodas warned that heart disease starts early, progresses “stealthily,” and can present “out of the blue in devastating ways.”
The AHA published another study on Thursday revealing one million hospitalizations, showing that heart attack deaths are climbing among adults below the age of 55.
The more alarming finding, according to Klodas, is that young women were found more likely to die after their first heart attack than men of the same age.
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“This is all especially tragic since heart disease is almost entirely preventable,” she said. “The earlier you start, the better.”
Children can show early evidence of plaque deposition in their arteries, which can be reversed through lifestyle changes if “undertaken early enough and aggressively enough,” according to the expert.
Moving more is one part of protecting a healthy heart, according to experts. (iStock)
Klodas suggested that rising heart conditions are associated with traditional risk factors, like smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.
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Doctors are also seeing higher rates of preeclampsia, or high blood pressure during pregnancy, as well as gestational diabetes. Klodas noted that these are sex-specific risk factors that don’t typically contribute to complications until after menopause.
The best way to protect a healthy heart is to “do the basics,” Klodas recommended, including the following lifestyle habits.
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Klodas especially emphasized making improvements to diet, as the food people eat affects “every single risk factor that the AHA’s report highlights.”
“High blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, excess weight – these are all conditions that are driven in part or in whole by food,” she said. “We eat multiple times every single day, which means what we eat has profound cumulative effects over time.”
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health,” a doctor said. (iStock)
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health.”
The doctor also recommends changing out a few snacks per day for healthier choices, which has been proven to “yield medication-level cholesterol reductions” in a month.
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“Keep up that small change and, over the course of a year, you could also lose 20 pounds and reduce your sodium intake enough to avoid blood pressure-lowering medications,” Klodas added.
“Women should not view the AHA report as inevitable. We have power over our health destinies. We just need to use it.”
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Nearsightedness (myopia) is skyrocketing globally, with nearly half of the world’s population expected to be myopic by 2050, according to the World Health Organization.
Heavy use of smartphones and other devices is associated with an 80% higher risk of myopia when combined with excessive computer use, but a new study suggests that dim indoor lighting could also be a factor.
For years, scientists have been puzzled by the different ways myopia is triggered. In lab settings, it can be induced by blurring vision or using different lenses. Conversely, it can be slowed by something as simple as spending time outdoors, research suggests.
Nearsightedness occurs when the eyeball grows too long from front to back, according to the American Optometric Association (AOA). This physical elongation causes light to focus in front of the retina rather than directly on it, making distant objects appear blurry.
The study suggests that myopia isn’t caused by the digital devices themselves, but by the low-light environments where they are typically used. (iStock)
Researchers at the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Optometry identified a potential specific trigger for this growth. When someone looks at a phone or a book up close, the pupil naturally constricts.
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“In bright outdoor light, the pupil constricts to protect the eye while still allowing ample light to reach the retina,” Urusha Maharjan, a SUNY Optometry doctoral student who conducted the study, said in a press release.
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“When people focus on close objects indoors, such as phones, tablets or books, the pupil can also constrict — not because of brightness, but to sharpen the image,” she went on. “In dim lighting, this combination may significantly reduce retinal illumination.”
High-intensity natural light prevents myopia because it provides enough retinal stimulation to override the “stop growing” signal, even when pupils are constricted. (iStock)
The hypothesis suggests that when the retina is deprived of light during extended close-up work, it sends a signal for the eye to grow.
In a dim environment, the narrowed pupil allows so little light through that the retinal activity isn’t strong enough to signal the eye to stop growing, the researchers found.
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In contrast, being outdoors provides light levels much brighter than indoors. This ensures that even when the pupil narrows to focus on a nearby object, the retina still receives a strong signal, maintaining healthy eye development.
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The team noted some limitations of the study, including the small subject group and the inability to directly measure internal lens changes, as the bright backgrounds used to mimic the outdoors made pupils too small for standard equipment.
Researchers believe that increasing indoor brightness during close-up work could be a simple, testable way to slow the global nearsightedness epidemic. (iStock)
“This is not a final answer,” Jose-Manuel Alonso, MD, PhD, SUNY distinguished professor and senior author of the study, said in the release.
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“But the study offers a testable hypothesis that reframes how visual habits, lighting and eye focusing interact.”
The study was published in the journal Cell Reports.
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