Aug 21, 12:21 PM

Covid Infection Speeds Arterial Ageing in Women, Global Study Shows

Covid-19 infection is linked to a measurable acceleration of arterial ageing in women, according to the first large international study to analyse post-infection vascular health across multiple continents. Researchers from 38 medical centres in 16–18 countries examined roughly 2,000 adults, averaging 50 years of age, who were enrolled between 2020 and 2022. Using carotid–femoral pulse-wave velocity, the standard gauge of arterial stiffness, they found that women who had contracted SARS-CoV-2 displayed arteries equivalent to about five additional years of age compared with uninfected peers; the gap widened to 7.5 years among those treated in intensive care. The stiffening was observed even after mild or moderate community-managed infections and persisted at a six-month to one-year follow-up, though some improvement was recorded. In men, infection produced no statistically significant change in vascular age. Investigators controlled for smoking, obesity and other cardiovascular risk factors, suggesting the effect is specific to the interaction between the virus and female biology, possibly via prolonged inflammatory responses. Participants who had been vaccinated before infection showed markedly less arterial stiffening, reinforcing existing evidence that vaccination reduces not only acute Covid severity but also longer-term cardiovascular sequelae. The authors say the findings offer a potential biomarker for long-Covid in women and underscore the importance of immunisation and cardiovascular monitoring after infection.

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