Covid doubles cardiovascular risk for three years: new research

Heart attacks and strokes are expected to stay prevalent in past Covid patients for years after infection, a new study indicates.

Covid dramatically raises the risk of later cardiovascular disease, with issues most acute in the elderly and those hospitalised by the virus.

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New research has uncovered the full extent of Covid’s effect on cardiovascular disease as clinicians seek to get ahead of one of the fastest-rising national health burdens.

A study published in the journal Atherosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology suggests those who have been infected with Covid face twice the risk of cardiovascular disease for three years post-infection.

Prior studies corroborated by the American National Institutes of Health indicate Covid causes lasting damage to mitochondria, the cell organelles responsible for fuelling the body. This degradation in the body’s natural energy and antioxidants contributes to a decline in gut health, which new research indicates presents a serious risk of heart disease when paired with inflammation caused by the virus.

Cardiologist and Healthy Gut Australia chief medical officer Ross Walker said a decline in the natural antioxidant ubiquinol exacerbated the health risk.

“What Covid does is it basically hyper-activates the immune system and the clotting system. So therefore, if you’ve got some plaque in your arteries, which are sitting there dormant … Covid can inflame those plaques,” Dr Walker said.

Cardiologist and health advocate Ross Walker.

“We have these little fuel packs in our cells called the mitochondria, and the mitochondria basically create energy … It doesn’t matter what sort of flashy car you drive, if there’s no energy in the car. It’s not going to move.

“Covid also pulverises the mitochondria … all of these things are all tied in together, the inflammation, the clotting, the mitochondrial dysfunction, and all of these things are setting people up for more cardiovascular disease.”

The UK-led study used medical records of 250,000 people supplied by the UK Biobank, an aggregate medical research service. The Australian Bureau of Statistics indicates those hospitalised with a Covid diagnosis saw a risk three times higher for cardiovascular disease.

Dr Walker argued the comorbid effects of Covid highlighted areas under strain in the modern health system.

“What Covid has done is highlight the importance of health surveillance and also raise public anxiety about infections, masks and everything else. So I think Covid has done some good things for society,” he said.

“Things like acute heart attack, stroke, myocarditis, pericarditis, atrial fibrillation, all of these things went through the roof during the Covid.

“The Covid virus destroys healthy gut bacteria, and healthy gut bacteria make all of these healthy chemicals … all of these things that go into our system keep our body healthy, keep our immune system healthy, keep the brain healthy, keep the heart healthy.

“If you have defective gut bacteria, you are not getting the natural chemicals that keep your body healthy and energetic.”

Alison Navarette, 47, with sons Julian, 10, and Camilo Navarette-Scheihing, 14.

For single mother and business owner Alison Navarette, the pandemic spurred a focus on preventive health she found increasingly validated as studies revealed the extent of long-term health impacts.

“I got Covid. I tested positive twice … After that I was very adamant about maintaining my health. I try to make sure that I complement that with everything, like with my diet and my exercise. That was really key to me,” Ms Navarette, 47, said.

“I wasn’t able to take time off from my job at that period … I actually didn’t have the opportunity to get sick as much.

“That was probably the force that made sure I was on top of it, the unknown of what the future was going to hold. It does exemplify and it does exasperate when you have a single income and you have two children to look after.”

The Heart Foundation estimates cardiovascular conditions are the most common Australian health issue with an economic burden set to reach $141 billion by 2029.