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Heart Health

How COVID-19 can compromise your heart health

July 1, 2022

Even a mild case may raise your risk of cardiovascular disease for as long as a year afterward.

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Two years into the coronavirus pandemic, almost half of all Americans had been infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. While most have fully recovered, COVID survivors — even those with mild infections — face a higher risk of cardiovascular problems for up to one year later, a large study suggests.

"We already knew that like other serious infections, COVID-19 can cause inflammation that increases heart problems in the short term — that is, soon after a person is infected. This new study looked at the longer-term, chronic risk, from 30 days up to one year after infection," says cardiologist Dr. C. Michael Gibson, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

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About the Author

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Julie Corliss, Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter

Julie Corliss is the executive editor of the Harvard Heart Letter. Before working at Harvard, she was a medical writer and editor at HealthNews, a consumer newsletter affiliated with The New England Journal of Medicine. She … See Full Bio
View all posts by Julie Corliss

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