Increased risk of heart attack, stroke in first two weeks after Covid: Study
Coronavirus update: The risk of heart attack and stroke is increased three-fold in the first two weeks following Covid 19, according to a study released recently. The study compared the occurrence of acute myocardial infarction or heart attack, and stroke in 86,742 coronavirus patients with 348,481 control individuals in Sweden from February 1 to September 14, 2020.
"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 conducted as part of the update on coronavirus.
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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.
"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.
"This indicates that acute myocardial infarction and ischaemic stroke represent a part of the clinical picture of coronavirus, and highlights the need for vaccination against Covid 19," says the study.
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In the study, information from national registries from the Public Health Agency of Sweden, Statistics Sweden and the National Board of Health and Welfare were cross-linked for all reported Covid 19 patients.
A control group consisting of four individuals matched to every Covid 19 case on age, gender and county of residence, that had not tested positive for coronavirus.
By using historical registry data from the National Board of Health and Welfare's inpatient registry, individuals with a previous myocardial infarction and stroke were identified and excluded from the study.
"It would have been difficult to calculate the risk that Covid 19 contributes to acute myocardial infarction and stroke, if individuals with a prior event were included," said Krister Lindmark, a co-author of the study on coronavirus. -PTC News
