New study links COVID-19 to long-term arterial aging in women

(Web Desk): Ongoing global research continues to explore the long-term health effects of COVID-19. A new scientific study has raised further concern that the virus may not be just a temporary infection—it could leave lasting impacts on the heart and blood vessels, with women appearing to be at greater risk.

According to a new study published in the European Heart Journal, COVID-19 may affect women’s arteries more rapidly than men’s, prematurely aging their blood vessels by an average of five years. These effects were observed even in patients who had only mild symptoms of the virus.

The study, known as the Cartesians Study, included 2,390 individuals from 16 countries, half of whom were women with an average age of 50. Participants were divided into various groups: those who remained uninfected, those who contracted COVID but were not hospitalized, those who were hospitalized, and those admitted to intensive care units (ICUs).

To assess arterial stiffness, researchers used a test known as carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV). Tests conducted six and twelve months after infection revealed significantly higher PWV rates in women compared to men, indicating greater arterial aging in female patients.

Experts explain that every 0.5 m/s increase in PWV is equivalent to about five years of vascular aging.

Interestingly, vaccination appeared to offer protective effects for women, with vaccinated women showing less arterial aging. However, no significant link between vaccination and arterial stiffness was observed in men.

Experts suggest this may be due to the stronger and faster immune response in women compared to men. While this robust immune defense helps in fighting infections, it may also increase the risk of vascular damage.

According to Dr. Rosa Maria Bruno from the University of Paris, this difference may stem from the overactive immune response in women that continues to impact arteries even after the initial infection subsides.

In an editorial accompanying the study, experts from Johns Hopkins University wrote that the effects of COVID-19 are “real, measurable, and gender-specific.” They emphasized that the key question now is whether we can find ways to prevent or reverse this "vascular aging" in the future.