A Covid-19 infection can lead to long-term cardiovascular complications by causing vascular damage, particularly in women, according to a new study by the Cyprus University of Technology (Tepak) and the University of Athens, published in the European Heart Journal.

The “CARTESIAN study” (Covid-19 effects on ARTErial StIffness and vascular AgeiNg) found that while blood vessels naturally become stiffer with age, a Covid infection may accelerate this process.

“This is important, as people with stiffer blood vessels face a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, including strokes and heart attacks,” the researchers told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA).

The study assessed the vascular age of 2,390 participants from 16 countries using a device that measures carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) – the speed at which a blood pressure wave travels between the carotid artery in the neck and the femoral arteries in the legs.

Measurements were carried out at the University of Athens up to six months after infection and repeated at 12 months.

The researchers explained that “vascular ageing,” as opposed to chronological ageing, “reflects individual variability in the onset of vascular disease and mortality”. PWV has already proven useful in identifying emerging risk factors for cardiovascular disease. A higher measurement indicates stiffer arteries and an older vascular age.

After adjusting for demographics such as age and gender, the study found that all groups of patients who had contracted Covid, even those with mild illness, showed greater arterial stiffness compared to non-infected participants.

The findings revealed that overall, women made up for a greater share of those suffering increased blood vessel stiffness than men and or long covid-patients suffering from symptoms including shortness of breath and general fatigue.

“One reason for the difference between women and men could be differences in immune system function”, the researchers said.

“Women develop a faster and stronger immune response, which may protect them from infection. However, this same response may also increase damage to blood vessels after the initial infection”, they added.

The arteries of vaccinated individuals were found to be of a younger vascular age and less stiff compared to those who had not been vaccinated.

In the long term, vascular aging associated with covid infection appeared to stabilise or improve slightly, with the researchers emphasizing that vascular aging could be treated relatively easily with “widely available means”, including lifestyle changes and medications to lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

“For people with accelerated vascular aging, it is important to do everything possible to reduce their risk of cardiovascular events,” the researchers concluded.