As cases of long COVID — often defined as symptoms that weren’t present before persisting for 3 or more months after the infection — became more prevalent and alarming, researchers began to zero in on the commonly reported cardiovascular symptoms of fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain, and palpitations, among others.
Long-COVID patients, much research has found, have significantly higher odds of developing cardiac complications than those without long COVID.
Now, some researchers recommend that severe COVID, such as cases requiring hospitalization, be viewed as an independent cardiovascular risk factor, regardless of the patient’s cardiac health history, and that aggressive measures be initiated.