'Broad implications': New study finds 'lasting damage' caused by Covid

New research has pointed to the long-term medical affects of contracting Covid-19 with scientists warning governments should expect more cardiovascular problems among society including heart disease and stroke which could reduce life expectancy.

While the immediate impact of acute cases of Covid-19 is well understood, researchers say the "post-acute cardiovascular manifestations" are still not well known and comprehensively characterised.

The study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, used a national health database in the United States to analyse more than 153,000 people who contracted Covid-19, as well as using more than 5 million historical controls without evidence of infection.

The researchers found that beyond the first 30 days of 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," the study says.

For those who suffered from an acute bout of the novel coronavirus, the long-term effects were more substantial.

"Our results provide evidence that the risk and 1-year burden of cardiovascular disease in survivors of acute Covid-19 are substantial," researchers wrote.

Dr Ziyad Al-Aly, one of the authors of the study, said the risks of cardiovascular diseases were evident in all subgroups including young and old, male and female, as well as those who had no prior history of any cardiovascular disease.

Sharing the research on social media, Dr Ziyad Al-Aly issued a warning to governments and operators of healthcare systems.

"Governments and health systems around the world should be prepared to deal with the likely significant contribution of the Cvoid-19 pandemic to a rise in the burden of cardiovascular diseases," he said.

"Because of the chronic nature of these conditions, they will likely have long-lasting consequences for patients and health systems and also have broad implications on economic productivity and life expectancy."

West Australian epidemiologist Dr Zoë Hyde, who continues to call for the elimination of Covid despite the implausibility of such a policy, also shared the research online, citing the risks of allowing the disease to spread in the community.

"Covid-19 can cause lasting damage to the cardiovascular system, even in 'mild' cases that didn’t require hospitalisation during the acute phase of infection," she noted.

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