This increase in vascular rigidity is comparable – in women who have been sick to the point of being hospitalized in the intensive care unit – to that which would naturally occur over a period of ten years.
“We thought everyone would behave in the same way. It was believed that everyone was going to have premature vascular aging like the Covid’s sequelae, “said Professor Mohsen Agharaziii of the Faculty of Medicine of Laval University and the Research Center of the Laval Quebec University CHU.
“But we were surprised to see that in men, it had absolutely no impact, while in women, it was translated into accelerated vascular aging.”
Professor Agharazii and his colleague Catherine Fortier collaborated on this study which examined the vascular rigidity of some 2100 people distributed in 18 countries.
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The sample was made up of three groups of subjects who had had COVID-19: the first had not been hospitalized (most had had a light infection); The second had had to be hospitalized in a regular care unit for infection of average severity; And the latter had been admitted to the intensive care unit for severe infection.
Just under 400 people who had never had COVVI-19 served as a control group.
By measuring the speed at which the pulse wave spreads in the aorta (the largest blood vessel in the body), the researchers discovered that this speed was higher in the three groups of women who were infected with the Sras-Cov-2 than in the control group, which testifies to more rigid arteries.
The differences corresponded to a vascular aging of five years for groups light infection or average intensity infection, and ten years for the severe infection group.
No difference was observed on the side of men, which is possibly attributable to the fact that women usually have a more robust immune response to infections, which results in greater inflammation and, potentially, greater damage to blood vessels.
“Blood vessels are lined with a single -tank of cells (which) are a bit the interface between blood and blood vessel,” said Professor Agharazii. These cells are attacked by the covid virus, and when they are sick, it generates a dysfunction. ”
It is not known if the vascular rigidity of infected women is permanent, but even a year after the infection, the average rigidity of the women who had had COVVI-19 was not descended to that of the control group.
Even once the infection is absorbed, it will therefore be able to remain scars that will affect vascular rigidity and lead to overload of heart work and higher blood pressure that can affect the heart, brain and kidneys, it was explained by press release.
“A stiffness of the aorta can have consequences at the level of the heart,” said Fortier. The heart will have to work stronger, the pressure will be raised, so there can be any yes on the heart, but also on the other organs. ”
Researchers consequently believe that a COVVI-19 infection should be taken into account-in the same way as high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol levels or lifestyle-when you assess the cardiovascular risk of a woman.
They also emphasize that healthy lifestyles such as physical activity, a balanced diet and the taking of prescribed medication (especially for hypertension) can help reduce risks.
The conclusions of this study were published by theEuropean Heart Journal.
