During the pandemic, scientists learned that COVID-19 increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular conditions. People who had COVID were twice as likely to suffer heart disease or stroke compared to those who had not experienced an infection. A review of 155 studies found that other common viruses can also raise your risk. Infections from flu, HIV, hepatitis C and shingles have been linked to significantly more cardiovascular events in the short- and long-term. Individuals with flu infections were up to six times more likely to suffer a heart attack in the 4 weeks following their infection, compared to those who had not been infected.
Viruses can raise the risk of cardiovascular events through two main pathways:
- Viruses can cause the immune system to go into “overdrive”, triggering excessive inflammation and blood clotting, which puts stress on the heart.
- Viruses can affect the heart more directly by targeting the heart tissue.
The majority of respiratory viruses, like flu, COVID, and RSV damage the heart indirectly. Other kinds of viruses (for example, enteroviruses such hand, foot and mouth disease) can directly infect heart issue.
The link between viruses and cardiovascular events grows stronger as the severity of infection increases. In other words, the sicker the virus makes you, the higher the chances you may experience a heart attack or stroke. Fortunately, vaccines for these viruses can lower the risk of severe infections.
“Often, we get vaccinated to reduce the risk of influenza or other illness, but I think vaccines can provide additional benefit in terms of potentially protecting against cardiovascular disease”, said the study’s lead scientist Dr. Kosuke Kawai, an adjunct professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.
