COVID-19 Survivors Experience Fatal Complications Like Heart Attack, Stroke Months After the Infection, Experts Warn

Scientists at Washington University in St Louis in the US have found that COVID-19 survivors are more likely to suffer fatal complications months after the infection. This includes heart attack, stroke, coronary disease, and heart failure.

The new study showed that regardless of any pre-existing conditions or age, the survivors have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. It highlights the importance of getting vaccinated to prevent COVID-19 infection.

COVID-19 Survivors Experience Fatal Complication Months After the Infection, Experts Claim

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COVID-19 Survivors Experience Fatal Complication Months After the Infection, Experts Claim

Experts Warn of Potentially Fatal Complications Months After COVID-19 Infection

The study, titled "Long-Term Cardiovascular Outcomes of COVID-19," published in Nature Medicine, warns that people who previously tested positive for COVID-19 are at higher risk of suffering fatal complications. The study, which involved 150,000 people who tested positive with COVID-19, revealed that they have a noticeably higher rate of strokes, heart failure, and coronary disease.

The Daily Mirror reported that experts warned the public to be prepared to deal with a rise of people suffering from cardiovascular diseases. Experts noted that given the chronic nature of the disease would likely have long-term consequences for patients, healthcare systems, economy and life expectancy.

Moreover, the study said that the risk of having a heart is increased by an estimated 63% after COVID-19 infection, while the risk of suffering from coronary disease or a stroke is at 72% and 52%, respectively.

However, Professor Paul Hunt from the University of East Anglia said that the risk of cardiovascular diseases would fall as the world sees the end of the pandemic.

In an interview with The Telegraph, he told the news outlet that it is like smoking that a certain increased risk will fall after a year of stopping it. If people managed to survive it for a year, then they would have lesser risk. He pointed out that the study did not specifically mention how long the increased risk of cardiovascular diseases will last.

The new study came out after the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he plans to remove all remaining coronavirus restrictions in the country a month earlier.

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Different Types of Post-COVID-19 Conditions

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), post-COVID-19 conditions are returning or ongoing health conditions that people who tested positive from the disease experience weeks or months after being infected. Even those who were asymptomatic in the days or weeks after they were infected could also have post-COVID-19 conditions in the form of combinations of health problems for different lengths of time.

Below are the different types of post-COVID-19 conditions that are otherwise known as long COVID, which cause long-term effects or chronic conditions:

New or ongoing symptoms that last for weeks or months
Multiorgan effects or autoimmune conditions with symptoms that could last for weeks or months
Hospitalizations and severe illnesses for lung-related diseases that can lead to severe weakness and exhaustion

The CDC said that the best way to prevent post-COVID-19 is to prevent COVID-19 illness. That means getting vaccinated against the SARS-CoV-2 virus as soon as possible to prevent getting infected and protect other people.