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Loss of taste and smell. Fatigue. Brain fog.
Illnesses that can linger long after COVID are well documented and the list seems to be getting longer.
Now scientists are adding blood clots to the list, some so severe that they lead to death. Even a mild case of COVID can put a person at risk in the weeks after infection, according to a new report released Monday.
The London-based study, published in the British Medical Journal heart, examined the records of nearly 20,000 UK residents who survived COVID and compared them with those of similar individuals who did not.
Researchers found that people who were diagnosed with COVID but not hospitalized were still at nearly three times the risk of venous thromboembolism — blood clots in the veins that can include deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. – compared to similar individuals who did not have I did not have COVID.
Such individuals were more than 10 times more likely to experience death, the researchers found.
“Given the high population exposure to COVID-19, these reports may portend a significant imminent public health problem,” the authors wrote.
A wider range of adverse events and a greater frequency of these were found among those hospitalized with COVID. Such individuals are at nearly 28 times the risk of venous thromboembolism, nearly 22 times the risk of heart failure, and nearly 18 times the risk of stroke compared to peers who did not experience COVID.
Most adverse events noted in the study occurred within 30 days of infection, but “the risk remained elevated for an extended period thereafter,” according to the authors.
The study examined patient records during the first two waves of COVID in the UK. Further study is needed to determine how long the increased risk of blood clots and other adverse cardiovascular events lasts and to determine what can be done to help patients at high risk of such events, they write. the authors.
COVID is known to be associated with an increased risk of blood clots and related problems, including heart attack and stroke, soon after diagnosis. But how long this increased risk lasts is not known.
A September study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association Circulation found that the risk of deep vein thrombosis was almost twice as high in those who survived COVID compared to those who did not. It also found that the increased risk of deep vein thrombosis and arterial thrombosis persisted for nearly a year after infection. It examines anonymously collected data on almost every adult in England and Wales.
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