London: The risk of heart attack and stroke is increased three-fold in the first two weeks following COVID-19, according to a study published in The Lancet journal. The study compared the occurrence of acute myocardial infarction or heart attack, and stroke in 86,742 COVID-19 patients with 348,481 control individuals in Sweden from February 1 to September 14, 2020.<\/p>\n
“We found a three-fold increased risk of acute myocardial infarction and stroke in the first two weeks following COVID-19,” said Osvaldo Fonseca Rodriguez from Umea University in Sweden, and co-first author of the study.<\/p>\n
The risk was same even after the researchers adjusted for known risk factors for acute myocardial infarction and stroke such as comorbidities, age, gender and socio-economic factors.<\/p>\n
“The results indicate that acute cardiovascular complications represent an important clinical manifestation of COVID-19,” said Ioannis Katsoularis from Umea University, a co-author of the study.<\/p>\n
“Our results also show how important it is to vaccinate against COVID-19, in particular the elderly who are at increased risk of acute cardiovascular events,” Katsoularis said.<\/p>\n
The researchers used two statistical methods in the study: the matched cohort study and the self-controlled case series.<\/p>\n
The self-controlled case series study is a method that was originally invented to determine the risk of complications following vaccines, they said.<\/p>\n
“Both the methods suggest that COVID-19 is a risk factor for acute myocardial infarction and ischaemic stroke,” the authors of the study said.<\/p>\n
“This indicates that acute myocardial infarction and ischaemic stroke represent a part of the clinical picture of COVID-19, and highlights the need for vaccination against COVID-19,” they said.<\/p>\n