One in eight people who were admitted to hospital with Covid-19 between May 2020 and March 2021 were subsequently diagnosed with myocarditis or heart inflammation, according to research on the long-term effects of the virus.
The University of Glasgow and the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde conducted the largest study of its kind, monitoring 159 coronavirus patients after they were admitted.
He discovered that they had a number of ongoing health issues.
The study, published in the journal Nature, looked at why some patients had long-term health problems after being hospitalized with Covid-19.
Many patients were not vaccinated (Victoria Jones / PA)
It has previously been speculated that long-term ill health is linked to pre-existing medical conditions, but research from the University of Glasgow suggested that it was the severity of coronavirus infection.
The “Cisco” study (Cardiac Imaging in SARS Coronavirus Disease) followed the group of patients discharged for one year, comparing their health with a control group of people with similar characteristics.
Additional assessments will be made to patients at 18 months and five years of age.
The researchers found that one in eight hospitalized patients with Covid-19 had inflammation of the heart, while inflammation throughout the body and damage to other organs such as the kidneys was also common.
Principal investigator Professor Colin Berry said: “Covid-19 is a multisystemic disease, and our study shows that heart, lung and kidney damage can be seen after initial hospitalization in examinations and tests. of blood.
“These findings bridge a vital knowledge gap between our current understanding of post-Covid-19 syndromes, such as long Covid, and objective evidence of ongoing disease.
“One of the most important findings of the Cisco study is that it is the severity of a patient’s Covid-19 infection, not their underlying health conditions, that is most closely related to the severity of any outcome. health in progress after discharge.
“We found that previously healthy patients, without any underlying disease, were suffering from serious health consequences, including myocarditis, after hospitalization.
“The reasons for this are unclear, but a healthy person who is hospitalized with Covid-19 may have a worse Covid infection than someone with an underlying health condition who is hospitalized.
“More work needs to be done here to understand the risks and also how we can better support patients who have consistent health outcomes after being hospitalized with Covid-19.”
The research paper said women were more likely to suffer from post-Covid myocarditis, which in turn was linked to lower mental and physical well-being.
Patients enrolled in the study during the first and second waves of the pandemic, and as a result, many were not vaccinated.