Women with long COVID had just over twice the risk of receiving a cardiovascular diagnosis compared with women without long COVID, according to a study.The study from Karolinska Institutet, published in eClinicalMedicine, showed that men with long COVID had approximately a third higher risk.The increased risk was also observed among people who had mild infections and did not require hospitalization.“Our results show that long COVID can be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, even in younger people who were previously healthy. This underlines the need for structured follow-up that takes gender differences into account, particularly as cardiovascular disease in women often presents with more diffuse symptoms that can make diagnosis more difficult,” said lead author Pia Lindberg, a nurse and PhD student at the Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet.Long COVID Linked To Higher Risk Of Cardiovascular EventsAlso read: New Heart Health Guidance For Women: Heavy Periods, Pregnancy Complications May Signal Heart Disease RiskThe results showed that the risk of conditions such as cardiac arrhythmias and coronary artery disease was higher even among people who were not hospitalized during the acute infection.Of the just over 1.2 million people aged between 18 and 65 included in the study, around 9,000 had been diagnosed with long COVID, corresponding to 0.7%. Two-thirds of them were women. People who had previously had cardiovascular disease or been hospitalized for COVID-19 were excluded from this group.During the follow-up period of around four years, people with long COVID were more likely to experience cardiovascular events. These occurred in 18.2% of women and 20.6% of men with long COVID, compared with 8.4% of women and 11.1% of men without long COVID.“We found that cardiac arrhythmias and coronary artery disease were more common among both women and men with long COVID. In women, there was also an increased risk of heart failure and peripheral vascular disease. However, no clear association was found between long COVID and stroke,” said Lindberg.Why Long COVID Patients Need Systematic MonitoringRead More: Long COVID: Mouth And Lung Bacteria May Offer CluesAs many people with long COVID never required hospitalization during their acute infection, there is a risk that secondary conditions may be missed, Lindberg said, pointing out that the results suggest these patients may need to be monitored more systematically.Long COVID has become an increasingly significant health problem worldwide, and a growing number of studies suggest that the condition can lead to secondary cardiovascular diseases. To date, research has mainly focused on people who were hospitalized, while the risks for those who stayed at home or were treated by a general practitioner are less well known.In the current study, the researchers investigated how often major cardiovascular events occurred in people with long COVID compared with those without the diagnosis.What Is Long COVID?Long COVID refers to new, returning or ongoing health problems that persist four or more weeks after the initial COVID-19 infection. Symptoms can last for months or even years.Common symptoms include fatigue, brain fog, memory problems, difficulty concentrating and slowed thinking.Research has also suggested that brain inflammation may persist even after the virus is no longer detectable.