Long-Term Cardiovascular Outcomes of COVID-19

Nature Medicine

Post-acute sequelae of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)—can involve the pulmonary and several extrapulmonary organs, including the cardiovascular system. A few studies have investigated cardiovascular outcomes in the post-acute phase of the COVID-19; however, most were limited to hospitalized individuals (who represent the minority of people with COVID-19), and all had a short duration of follow-up and a narrow selection of cardiovascular outcomes.

In this study, authors used the US Department of Veterans Affairs national healthcare databases to build a cohort of 153,760 US veterans who survived the first 30 d of COVID-19. These cohorts were followed longitudinally to estimate the risks and 12-month burdens of pre-specified incident cardiovascular outcomes and according to care setting of the acute infection (non-hospitalized, hospitalized and admitted to intensive care).

Available Brand

TAKE-HOME MESSAGE

Using data from the US Department of Veterans Affairs, this 12-month longitudinal cohort study estimated the risks and burdens of a set of prespecified cardiovascular outcomes in individuals who survived acute COVID-19.

Beyond the first 30 days after acute infection, individuals in the COVID-19 group demonstrated increased risks and burdens for all the prespecified cardiovascular outcomes compared with those in the control group.

Furthermore, the risks and burdens for the prespecified cardiovascular outcomes increased in a graded fashion according to the care setting (outpatient, hospitalized, or ICU admission) during the acute phase of the infection.

The 1-year risks and burdens of post-acute COVID-19 cardiovascular sequelae are substantial and span several diseases. Care strategies for survivors of acute COVID-19 should include attention to cardiovascular health.

Doctors Liked to Read More

Abstract

Objective

The cardiovascular complications of acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are well described, but the post-acute cardiovascular manifestations of COVID-19 have not yet been comprehensively characterized.

Method

Here study used national healthcare databases from the US Department of Veterans Affairs to build a cohort of 153,760 individuals with COVID-19, as well as two sets of control cohorts with 5,637,647 (contemporary controls) and 5,859,411 (historical controls) individuals, to estimate risks and 1-year burdens of a set of pre-specified incident cardiovascular outcomes.

Results

Study report show that, beyond the first 30 d after infection, individuals with COVID-19 are at increased risk of incident cardiovascular disease spanning several categories, including cerebrovascular disorders, dysrhythmias, ischemic and non-ischemic heart disease, pericarditis, myocarditis, heart failure and thromboembolic disease. These risks and burdens were evident even among individuals who were not hospitalized during the acute phase of the infection and increased in a graded fashion according to the care setting during the acute phase (non-hospitalized, hospitalized and admitted to intensive care).

Conclusion

Study results provide evidence that the risk and 1-year burden of cardiovascular disease in survivors of acute COVID-19 are substantial. Care pathways of those surviving the acute episode of COVID-19 should include attention to cardiovascular health and disease.

Rate This Article