Key Takeaways
Even mild COVID infection can increase the risk of clogged arteries
COVID patients69传媒 arterial plaque grows more rapidly
They69传媒檙e also more likely to develop high-risk plaque that causes a heart attack
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 5, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- Even a mild infection with can promote clogged arteries, increasing the risk of heart attack in some people, a new study says.
Infection with the COVID virus is associated with rapid growth of plaque in arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle, also called coronary arteries, researchers reported in a new study published Feb. 4 in the journal .
Overall, COVID patients were more likely to develop plaques that caused a heart attack or required a procedure to reopen the artery, results show.
What69传媒檚 more, this all occurred in people whose COVID was not severe enough to require hospitalization.
The inflammation associated with the infectious respiratory disease is the most likely culprit behind this rapid growth of arterial plaque, researchers said.
69传媒淚nflammation following COVID-19 can lead to ongoing plaque growth, particularly in high-risk, noncalcified plaques,69传媒 senior researcher , director of cardiology at Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University in Shanghai, China, said in a news release.
Non-calcified plaques are made of cholesterol and fat. They69传媒檙e more likely to rupture and block off blood flow, causing a heart attack.
69传媒淚t69传媒檚 crucial to anticipate a heavier cardiovascular patient burden in the future as most infected individuals recover from acute SARS-CoV-2 infection,69传媒 Ge added.
For the study, researchers analyzed repeated CT scans performed on more than 800 patients. The scans included 329 patients imaged prior to the COVID pandemic, and 474 patients imaged during the pandemic.
Overall, 690 patients eventually contracted COVID, while 113 remained uninfected, the study says. None of the patients who caught COVID had an infection serious enough to land them in the hospital.
Among all the patients, researchers found nearly 2,600 lesions in coronary arteries that indicate plaque buildup. There were more than 2,100 in COVID patients compared with 480 in uninfected participants.
Plaques grew more rapidly in COVID patients, increasing by 0.9% a year compared with 0.6% a year among the uninfected, results show.
COVID patients were also more likely to have high-risk plaques, 21% versus 16%, and heart-related inflammation, 27% versus 20%, researchers found.
Finally, COVID patients were more likely to develop plaques that led to either heart-related death, a heart attack or the need to surgically reopen a clogged artery -- 10% compared to 3% in the uninfected.
These effects persist after a COVID infection regardless of other factors like age, blood pressure or diabetes, Ge said.
69传媒淧atients with SARS-CoV-2 infection are at increased risk for myocardial infarction, acute coronary syndrome and stroke for up to a year,69传媒 Ge said.
If these findings prove valid, the world needs to brace itself for a future wave of heart disease caused by the pandemic, according to accompanying the study.
69传媒淔rom a public health perspective, the association between mild COVID-19 infection, plaque progression, and cardiovascular events is concerning as we approach 800 million confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide,69传媒 the editorial, co-written by , a senior lecturer in cardiac radiology at King69传媒檚 College London, says.
More information
The Cleveland Clinic has more on .
SOURCES: Radiological Society of North America, news release, Feb. 4, 2025; Radiology, Feb. 4, 2025
What This Means For You
People who69传媒檝e had COVID should talk with their doctor about potential heart problems that could stem from the infection.
