Strong links between Covid-19 and the increased risk of heart attacks and strokes

The number of previously healthy young people suffering serious impacts from long Covid, including heart attack and stroke, is growing.

John Economides was a fit healthy university student who seemed to bounce back quickly from the sore throat and joint pain of a “mild case” of Covid in January.

But when the Northern Beaches 21-year-old year old started to ease back into exercise his health took a sudden turn that sent him to hospital.

“I eased back to doing exercise but one morning I woke up with heart pain, at first I thought it wasn’t too bad but it got worse,” he said.

Diagnosed with myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle, Mr Economides joined the increasing number of previously healthy people suffering serious impacts from long Covid.

This Covid healthy hangover is revealed in a growing body of evidence which suggests the virus can have long term effects on the ­cardiovascular system leading to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

John Economides pictured at home recovering from COVID-19 and myocarditis. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Professor Jason Kovacic, executive director of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Centre said several new studies pointed to the link.

In the largest study, 153,760 veterans in the US who survived Covid were compared to over 500,000 in a control group. Those who had Covid had a 72 per cent increased risk of heart failure, 63 per cent increased risk of heart attack, and 52 per cent increased risk of stroke compared with controls.

“That study very clearly showed those who survived at least 30 days after Covid infection, excluding those that died of Covid related heart complications, there was a doubling of the risk of heart attack over the next 12 months, and more than doubling of heart failure, cardiac arrest, cardiac shock and a tripling of increased clots to the lungs and double the risk of stroke” Prof Kovacic said.

“It is a wakeup call that these effects of Covid in survivors are really significant.

“If Shane Warne was an example, he had Covid and an unexpected heart attack, whether his heart attack was related to Covid it is quite possible,” Prof Kovacic said.

Shane Warne had suffered from Covid and later died from a heart attack. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Covid affects the heart in several ways including causing acute inflammation.

“It is one of the factors that leads into acute heart attacks and I suspect it is one of the factors that leads into the doubling of heart attacks over subsequent years,” he said. .

After the deaths of both Warne and Foo Fighter’s drummer Taylor Hawkins, Covid, vaccines were questioned because of a tiny risk of myocarditis associated with vaccination. But Prof “Drawing Kovacic said any association between vaccination and their deaths “are based on false grounds. “

Sydney University cardiologist Professor Clara Chow was part of a team that looked at 644 Australian patients hospitalised with Covid in 2020 and the subsequent effects on their hearts.

They found one in seven patients had signs of heart injury, one in 25 developed atrial fibrillation and abnormal heart rhythms which can lead to stroke, one in 50 had heart failure and one in 100 suffered heart inflammation.

Professor Jason Kovacic, from The Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute.

“We found there was a definite rate of people, four to seven per cent, of people with Covid developed new cardiovascular disease, a lot of that was cardiac arrhythmia or atrial fibrillation and also the more serious heart failure,” Prof Chow said. “We are seeing a higher rate of serious cardiovascular cardiac complications with Covid.

Myocarditis associated with the mRNA vaccines, which are usually mild, is estimated at 8.5 cases per 100,000 in the 12-17 age group and 2.7 cases over all age groups.

Myocarditis after Covid is estimated at 45 cases per 100,000, almost six times higher than the younger age group risk of Myocarditis associated with the mRNA vaccines, and Mr Economides said he was taking the threat to his health seriously.

“I’m lucky as the tests show there is no scarring on my heart so there won’t be long term issues, but I still have some clinical dysfunction so they will keep observing me,” he said.

Got a news tip? Email [e-mail]