A bout of COVID-19 infection doubles the risk of heart attacks and strokes for up to three years, a recent study revealed.

The latest study conducted by the Cleveland Clinic researchers found that the risk of cardiovascular disease prevails for up to three years across all severities of COVID-19 infection. However, the risk is significantly higher for those hospitalized with severe COVID-19 and individuals with a pre-existing history of heart disease.

The researchers conducted a large-scale analysis of data from the UK Biobank from February to December 2020, which included a cohort of 10,005 people who had COVID-19 and 217,730 individuals who were not infected.

The findings published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology indicate that the long-term risk associated with COVID-19 "continues to pose a significant public health burden."

"Worldwide over a billion people have already experienced COVID-19. The findings reported are not a small effect in a small subgroup. The results included nearly a quarter million people and point to a finding of global healthcare importance that promises to translate into a rise in cardiovascular disease globally," said co-senior study author Dr. Stanley Hazen in a news release.

"These findings reveal while it's an upper respiratory tract infection, COVID-19 has a variety of health implications and underscores that we should consider the history of prior COVID-19 infection when formulating cardiovascular disease preventive plans and goals," said Dr. Hazen

Earlier studies have shown that people with A, B, or AB blood types had greater susceptibility to COVID-19. The latest study revealed that individuals with blood types A, B, or AB were twice as likely to experience adverse cardiovascular events after COVID-19 compared to those with blood type O.

"Given our collective observations and that 60% of the world's population have these non-O blood types, our study raises important questions about whether more aggressive cardiovascular risk reduction efforts should be considered, possibly by taking into consideration an individual's genetic makeup," Hooman Allayee, co-senior author of the study said.

"The association uncovered by our research indicates a potential interaction between the virus and the piece of our genetic code that determines blood type and signals the need for further investigation. A better understanding of what COVID-19 does at the molecular level may potentially teach us about pathways linked to cardiovascular disease risk," Dr. Hazen explained.

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