Scientists Say COVID Makes Blood Vessels Age Faster—And Women Are Hit Hardest

Recent research published in the European Heart Journal indicates that COVID-19 infection may cause blood vessels to age prematurely, with women experiencing particularly pronounced effects. This finding adds to our growing understanding of COVID-19's long-term health implications and highlights important considerations for cardiovascular care.

About The Study

The CARTESIAN study, which enrolled 2,390 adults from 16 countries including Austria, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, the UK, and the US, measured vascular stiffness using carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV), a recognized marker for arterial aging. Participants were evaluated within 90 days of their COVID-19 infection, with follow-up measurements at 6 and 12 months.

"Since the pandemic, we have learned that many people who have had COVID are left with symptoms that can last for months or even years," noted Professor Rosa Maria Bruno from Université Paris Cité, France, who led the study. "We know that COVID can directly affect blood vessels. We believe that this may result in what we call early vascular aging, meaning that your blood vessels are older than your chronological age and you are more susceptible to heart disease."

The research revealed that regardless of hospitalization status, people who had contracted COVID-19 showed stiffer arteries than matched controls who had never been infected. The effect was most pronounced in women, who demonstrated an increase in PWV of approximately 0.55 meters per second – equivalent to roughly five years of vascular aging.

Vaccinated people had less arterial stiffening than unvaccinated, and some improvement in PWV was observed over 12 months post-infection.

Why The Gender Disparity?

This gender disparity is particularly noteworthy. Researchers suggest that women's typically stronger immune response to COVID-19 may contribute to greater post-infection vascular injury. This aligns with other research showing women experience higher rates of persistent long COVID symptoms.

For nursing professionals, these findings have significant clinical implications. Since arterial stiffness increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, including stroke and heart attack, nurses should consider a patient's COVID-19 history – particularly for female patients – when assessing cardiovascular risk factors.

"If that is happening, we need to identify who is at risk at an early stage to prevent heart attacks and strokes," Professor Bruno emphasized.

The study categorized participants according to whether they,

•  Had never had COVID
• Had recent COVID but were not hospitalized
• Were hospitalized for COVID on a general ward, or equired intensive care.

Importantly, the research found that vascular changes occurred even following mild COVID infections, suggesting that symptom severity may not predict long-term cardiovascular impact.

Future research will need to address several remaining questions, including the effects of different viral variants, consequences of repeat infections, and whether these preclinical vascular changes translate to actual increases in cardiovascular events over time.

As our understanding of COVID-19's long-term effects continues to evolve, this research provides valuable insight into the potential cardiovascular implications of infection and highlights the need for gender-specific approaches to post-COVID cardiovascular care.

🤔 Nurses, share your thoughts in the discussion forum below.