COVID’s Vascular Impact: How the Virus May Be Ageing Your Blood Vessels
New Delhi: A new research has found that COVID-19 infection can speed up the ageing of blood vessels by up to five years, especially in women. This accelerated vascular ageing leads to stiffer arteries, which in turn increases the risk of cardiovascular conditions such as heart attacks and strokes, the researchers explained. The findings are published in the European Heart Journal.
"We know that Covid can directly affect blood vessels. We believe that this may result in what we call early vascular ageing, meaning that your blood vessels are older than your chronological age and you are more susceptible to heart disease,” said Professor Rosa Maria Bruno from Université Paris Cité, France.
“If that is happening, we need to identify who is at risk at an early stage to prevent heart attacks and strokes," Bruno said.
The study analyzed data from 2,390 individuals across 16 countries—including Austria, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Turkey, the UK, and the US—recruited between September 2020 and February 2022.
Findings revealed that all participants who had contracted COVID-19, even those with mild cases, showed increased arterial stiffness compared to those who had never been infected. The study highlighted that the effect was more pronounced in women and individuals experiencing long COVID symptoms such as fatigue and shortness of breath.
Importantly, vaccinated individuals generally had less stiff arteries than those who were unvaccinated. Over time, the vascular ageing linked to COVID-19 infection appeared to either stabilize or show slight improvement.
The Professor noted that one reason for the difference between women and men “could be differences in the function of the immune system”.
“Women mount a more rapid and robust immune response, which can protect them from infection. However, this same response can also increase damage to blood vessels after the initial infection,” Bruno said.
Dr Bhumika Maikhuri is a Consultant Orthodontist at Sanjeevan Hospital, Delhi. She is also working as a Correspondent and a Medical Writer at Medical Dialogues. She completed her BDS from Dr D Y patil dental college and MDS from Kalinga institute of dental sciences. Apart from dentistry, she has a strong research and scientific writing acumen. At Medical Dialogues, She focusses on medical news, dental news, dental FAQ and medical writing etc.