Could mild Covid be aging your blood vessels faster than you thought? Let's dive into the latest research on vascular health and Covid.
Hey friends! 🌟 Have you ever thought about how something as seemingly mild as Covid can have serious long-term effects on our health? A new study has surfaced, revealing that even mild cases of Covid can age our blood vessels by as much as five years! 😳 This alarming discovery has sparked discussions about vascular aging and its implications for our health, so let’s unpack this together!
What is vascular aging?
Okay, but can we talk about vascular aging? It’s basically when our blood vessels become stiffer over time, which is a natural part of getting older. But what’s concerning is that this study, which included nearly 2,400 participants from 16 different countries, found that Covid can accelerate this process.
Particularly, women seemed to be more affected, leading researchers to draw some serious conclusions about our health moving forward.
So, what does this mean for us? Well, researchers noted that vascular aging is linked to an increased risk of heart disease and even dementia! Yikes! 😱 Imagine your body aging faster than it should just because of a virus.
This study published in the European Heart Journal highlighted that those who had been vaccinated against Covid exhibited less stiff arteries compared to their unvaccinated peers. It’s like a little ray of hope amidst the chaos!
The study’s findings
Plot twist: the lead author, Professor Rosa Maria Bruno from Université Paris Cité, shared that the findings suggest Covid can directly impact blood vessels. Isn’t that wild? They assessed vascular age using a device that measures the speed of blood pressure waves traveling through the body. If the measurement is higher, it indicates stiffer blood vessels, which is not a good sign.
After measuring participants six months and then twelve months post-infection, they found that women with mild Covid saw an increase in blood vessel stiffness by 0.55 meters per second. For women who were hospitalized, the increase was 0.60, and for those in intensive care, it skyrocketed to 1.09! Just think about that for a second. A 0.5 meters per second increase in a 60-year-old woman is considered ‘clinically relevant’ and equals five years of vascular aging. Who else finds this super concerning? 🙋♀️
Why is this happening?
So, why is this happening? Professor Bruno suggested several reasons for this accelerated aging. It could be due to how the virus interacts with our blood vessels through something called angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptors. This interaction could lead to vascular dysfunction, which is a fancy way of saying our blood vessels aren’t working as they should.
Interestingly, the study found that the immune response could also play a role. Women tend to have a more robust immune response compared to men, which might be a factor in why they experienced different levels of vascular aging. It’s like our bodies have their own ways of coping with these infections! 💪
But here’s the good news: vascular aging can potentially be managed with lifestyle changes and medications to lower blood pressure and cholesterol. So, if you’re feeling a little anxious about this news, remember that there are steps we can take to improve our vascular health!
Looking ahead
As researchers continue to follow the participants over the years, they aim to better understand if this accelerated vascular aging truly raises the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Dr. Behnood Bikdeli from Harvard Medical School emphasized that while the acute threat of Covid-19 may have lessened, we now face the challenge of post-acute Covid-19 syndrome. This is defined by the World Health Organization as symptoms lasting at least two months after infection, and it’s something we all need to be aware of.
So, what do you think? Are you concerned about the long-term effects of Covid on your health? Let’s talk about it! Share your thoughts below and let’s keep the conversation going. 💬✨
