Major new report sets out how to tackle the ‘profound and lasting impact’ of COVID-19 on cardiovascular health

(Press-News.org) Key take-aways: 

Covid infection and long Covid have serious effects on the heart and blood vessels, and the pandemic has had a widespread and lasting impact on cardiovascular health. 

A set of expert recommendations explain how these conditions should be diagnosed, treated and prevented. 

Cardiac rehabilitation is vital for Covid and long Covid patients, but many do not have access to rehabilitation programmes. 

Vaccination reduces the cardiac risks of Covid, so vaccination programmes must continue. 

 

Millions of people around the world are suffering with the serious cardiovascular effects of Covid infection and long Covid. A lack of clear guidance on how to reduce this suffering and prevent further harm means that patients are not receiving the care they need, and some are turning to unproven or unsafe treatments. 

 

A major report published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology [1] today (Thursday), sets out how to address this growing problem through diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and vaccination. 

 

The report is a clinical consensus statement authored by a group of experts from across Europe, led by Professor Vassilios Vassiliou from University of East Anglia and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, UK, on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). 

 

Professor Vassiliou said: “Covid-19 has a profound and lasting impact on cardiovascular health, with complications emerging during acute illness, recovery, and even after reinfections or vaccination. In the absence of clear evidence-based guidance, patients risk harmful treatments and clinicians face uncertainty. 

 

“This statement provides unified, practical recommendations for prevention, rehabilitation, and long-term care, while also identifying critical research gaps to ensure strategies continue to evolve with emerging evidence.” 

 

To prepare the report, the expert group reviewed all the existing research on Covid-19 and cardiovascular disease, including the effects of an acute infection, long Covid and Covid vaccination. They used this research to agree a set of recommendations on how to treat or prevent the damaging cardiovascular effects of Covid. 

 

Almost one billion people are known to have been infected with Covid-19 worldwide, although the true number is believed to be far higher, and research shows that Covid patients, especially those who needed hospital treatment, have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack, stroke and death from cardiovascular disease. 

 

Researchers estimate that around of 100 million people are currently living with long Covid, and about 5% of these (five million) will have cardiac long Covid, with symptoms including angina (chest pain), breathlessness, arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm), heart failure, fatigue and dizziness. Long Covid can also lead to autonomic dysfunction where the nerves that normally control heart rate, breathing and body temperature do not work properly. 

 

The expert consensus statement includes advice to continue vaccinating against Covid-19, as people who are fully vaccinated are far less likely to suffer cardiac complication or long Covid, even if they develop a Covid infection. They also set out how to diagnose and treat the symptoms brought on by Covid, such as shortness of breath, chest pain and fainting. In particular, the paper recommends structured cardiac rehabilitation programmes, including specialised physiotherapy, to prevent longer term problems from developing following infection and to aid recovery from long Covid. 

 

Professor Vassiliou said: “Covid doesn’t only affect the lungs. It can also damage the heart and blood vessels, both during the acute infection and for months afterward. This means chest pain, breathlessness, palpitations, or fatigue may be signs of cardiac long Covid. If you already have heart disease, Covid raises your risk of serious complications both immediately and long after infection. In both cases, rehabilitation can protect your heart and support recovery.” 

 

Finally, the experts call for equal access to cardiac rehabilitation programmes, especially for people living in rural locations. Professor Vassiliou explained: “At present, the capacity of rehabilitation services across much of Europe is insufficient to accommodate both conventional cardiac patients and those with cardiac long Covid. There are also significant regional variations. Targeted financial investment and resource allocation are therefore required to expand service capacity and ensure equitable access. 

 

“Unfortunately, even now, cardiac long Covid continues to affect the quality of life for many patients. We need to ensure patients have equitable access to rehabilitation services, support primary prevention through vaccination and lifestyle programmes, and fund research into long Covid and cardiovascular outcomes. Health systems must be prepared for the ongoing burden, not just the acute infection.” 

 

ENDS 

 

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Funding: None 

 

Disclosures: VSV received speaker fees from Novartis and a grant for investigator-initiated research from B Braun Ltd. LS received speaker fee Daiichi Sankyo. SPE received consultancy fees from Circle Cardiovascular Imaging, Inc., Calgary, Alberta, Canada. MM received consultancy fees from Abbott structural, Astra-Zeneca, Bayer, Cytokinetics, Edwards LifeSciences, Roche Diagnostics, NovoNordisk. GBZ received consultancy fees from Abiomed, Advanced Nanotherapies, Aleph, Amarin, Balmed, Cardionovum, Crannmedical, Endocore Lab, Eukon, Guidotti, Innovheart, Meditrial, Menarini, Microport, Opsens Medical, Terumo, and Translumina. 
All the other authors report no conflicts of interest. 

 

Reference: 

Please acknowledge the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology as a source in any articles. 

[1] ‘Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Management in COVID-19. A Clinical Consensus Statement of the European Association of Preventive Cardiology, the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging, the Association of Cardiovascular Nursing & Allied Professions, the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions, and the Heart Failure Association of the ESC’, by Vassilios S Vassiliou1 et al, European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, doi: 10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf540 

 

Journalists can download an embargoed pdf of the full research paper and editorial from the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology before the publication date here.  

N.B. Journalists: please don’t use this link in any stories that you publish. It is for the exclusive use of the media BEFORE publication. After publication the paper will be replaced, so please provide the following permanent link to the published research paper on the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology website in your stories: 

https://academic.oup.com/eurjpc/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf540 

 

 

When obtaining outside comment, journalists are requested to ensure that their contacts are aware of the embargo on this release. 

 

About the European Society of Cardiology  

The European Society of Cardiology brings together health care professionals from more than 150 countries, working to advance cardiovascular medicine and help people lead longer, healthier lives. 

 

The European Journal of Preventive Cardiology (EJPC) is an official, international, peer-reviewed, journal of the European Association of Preventive Cardiology (EAPC), an association of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). It is published on behalf of the ESC by Oxford Journals, a division of Oxford University Press. 

END