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ESC Congress 2026 Abstract

COVID-19 linked to higher heart disease and stroke risk

Predicted five-year cardiovascular risk was 19% in adults with COVID-19, compared with 15% in those without infection.

Paper by B Seboka, D J Magliano, T H Marwick, Q Huynh · Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute
An artery narrowed by fatty deposits sits beside virus particles and a group of people, with a clearer artery beside a separate group.
Cohort study of 2,848,580 tested adults with hospital or emergency care records, median 2.7 yearsPopulations

Limit: Five-year risks were predictions rather than observed five-year outcomes

Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News

Paper
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A retrospective cohort study analyzed records for 2,848,580 adults with a laboratory COVID-19 test and at least one hospital or emergency care record. The records covered 2018–2025; 747,697 participants had COVID-19. Researchers examined atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, which involves fatty buildup in arteries, including heart attacks and strokes.

Over a median 2.7 years, participants with COVID-19 were less likely to remain free of these events than those without infection. Hospitalizations rose most during the Delta wave and remained elevated during Omicron. Older age, male sex, other illnesses and repeated infections were among the factors associated with higher risk. Three or more vaccine doses were associated with 29% lower relative risk, although the abstract did not specify the comparison group.

Why it matters

For older adults, the findings point to a need for targeted cardiovascular prevention and early assessment after COVID-19.

Caveats

This observational study could not establish cause and effect, and the five-year risks were predictions rather than observed five-year outcomes. The congress abstract covered tested adults with hospital or emergency care records, so the findings may not extend to adults without those records.

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