USars-CoV-2 infection can leave a silent but profound mark on the female body: a premature aging of the cardiovascular system. This was revealed by a study byUniversité Paris Citépresented at the congress ofEuropean Society of Cardiology and published onEuropean Heart Journal, which he estimated at about five years “additional” vascular age in women after Covid, even in the mildest cases.
Not just lungs
The pandemic has taught us that virus doesn’t just affect the lungs. Its consequences extend to the blood vessels, where it can cause inflammation and loss of elasticity. As we age, arteries naturally tend to stiffen, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. Covid, the researchers explain, seems to accelerate this process.
The study
The team led by Rosa Maria Bruno analyzed 2,390 people from 16 countries, including Italy, dividing them based on the severity of the infection: never infected, mild Covid, hospitalized in the ward or in intensive care.
To evaluate the age of the arteries, the carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV): the faster the wave travels, the more rigid the vessels become. An increase of 0.5 meters per second is equivalent to approximately five years of vascular aging.
The results
Six months after infection, all the people who had had Covid showed stiffer arteries compared to the uninfected, regardless of the severity of the disease. However, the effect was more marked in women and in those suffering from long Covid.
In mild female cases, the average increase in PWV was 0.55 m/s — equal to five years older of vascular age and a 3% increase in cardiovascular risk. In the most severe cases, up to 1.09 m/s. A positive signal concerns i vaccinatedwhich showed less stiffening. Furthermore, after a year, the values tended to partially improve.
Because it happens
According to the authors, the virus damages vessels by binding to ACE2 receptors on endothelial cells and triggering a inflammatory response that accelerates aging. In women, this reaction could be amplified by a more reactive immune system: a double-edged sword that protects in the acute phases, but can leave consequences over time.
The silent legacy of Covid
“Covid has aged our arteries, especially in women,” researchers from Harvard Medical School write in an editorial. «The challenge now is identify strategies to prevent and mitigate these long-term effects.”