Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 27, 2025
Live Imaging and Quantification of Viral Infection in K18 hACE2 Transgenic Mice Using Reporter-Expressing Recombinant SARS-CoV-2
Published on: November 5, 2021
Risk of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events After SARS-CoV-2 Infection in British Columbia: A Population-Based Study
Héctor Alexander Velásquez García1, Stanley Wong2, Dahn Jeong1
1Data and Analytic Services, British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 4R4, Canada; School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada.
Insights
COVID-19 infection significantly increases the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, particularly in severe cases. This study highlights the need for long-term cardiovascular monitoring in COVID-19 survivors.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Epidemiology
Background:
- COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) is linked to an elevated risk of post-acute cardiovascular complications.
- Limited population-based data exists for extended observation periods following SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the long-term cardiovascular risk associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.
- To quantify the population-attributable fraction of major adverse cardiovascular events due to SARS-CoV-2.
Main Methods:
- A population-based cohort study utilized data from the British Columbia COVID-19 Cohort (2020-2021).
- Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) positive individuals were matched 1:4 with SARS-CoV-2 negative controls based on sex, age, and RT-PCR collection date.
- Multivariable survival models assessed the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and major adverse cardiovascular events and acute myocardial infarction occurring >30 days post-infection.
Main Results:
- The study included 649,320 individuals (129,864 exposed, 519,456 unexposed) with a median follow-up of 260 days.
- Exposed individuals had a higher risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (aHR 1.34; 95% CI, 1.22-1.46), with risk escalating in hospitalized (aHR 3.81) and ICU patients (aHR 6.25).
- SARS-CoV-2 infection accounted for 7.04% of incident major adverse cardiovascular events (95% CI, 4.67-9.41%), with similar findings for acute myocardial infarction.
Conclusions:
- SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with a graded increase in cardiovascular risk, directly correlated with acute COVID-19 severity.
- Approximately 7% of major adverse cardiovascular events can be attributed to SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- Long-term cardiovascular risk monitoring is essential for COVID-19 survivors.
Background:
COVID-19 is associated with increased risk of post-acute cardiovascular outcomes. Population-based evidence for long periods of observation is still limited.
Methods:
This population-based cohort study was conducted using data (2020-2021) from the British Columbia COVID-19 Cohort. The exposure of interest was severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, identified through reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay. Individuals who tested positive (exposed) on RT-PCR were matched to negative controls (unexposed) on sex, age, and RT-PCR collection date in a 1:4 ratio. Outcomes of interest were incident major adverse cardiovascular events and acute myocardial infarction, identified more than 30 days after RT-PCR collection date. The association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and cardiovascular risk was assessed through multivariable survival models. Population attributable fractions were computed from Cox models.
Results:
We included 649,320 individuals: 129,864 exposed and 519,456 unexposed. The median duration of follow-up was 260 days; 1,786 events (0.34%) took place among the unexposed, and 702 (0.54%) in the exposed. The risk of major adverse cardiovascular events was higher in the exposed (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.34; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.22-1.46), with greater risk observed in those who were hospitalized (aHR 3.81; 95% CI, 3.12-4.65) or required intensive care unit admission (aHR 6.25; 95% CI, 4.59-8.52) compared with the unexposed group. The fraction of cardiovascular events attributable to SARS-CoV-2 was 7.04% (95% CI, 4.67-9.41%). Comparable results were observed for acute myocardial infarction.
Conclusions:
SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with higher cardiovascular risk, with graded increase across the acute COVID-19 severity, contributing to 7% of incident major adverse cardiovascular events. These findings suggest that long-term monitoring of cardiovascular risk is required in COVID-19 survivors.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Psychoneuroimmunology: Cardiovascular Disease
A key area of focus in PNI is the relationship between stress and coronary...
01:19Blood Studies for Cardiovascular System II: CRP, Hcy, and Cardiac Natriuretic Peptide Markers
These markers indicate stress or strain on the heart muscle:
Natriuretic Peptides (BNP)
Cardiac myocytes produce these hormones in response to ventricular stretching...
01:23Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast,...