Long-Term Heart Risks After COVID-19 Infection | Dr. José Alberto Garnica Choque

A post on social media by Dr. José Alberto Garnica Choque on March 22, 2026, highlighted the ongoing risks of long-term cardiac complications following COVID-19 infection.

Research published in 2024 indicates that individuals infected with COVID-19 in 2020 may face a doubled risk of heart attack, stroke, or death up to three years later, even if they did not experience severe illness. A study from the Keck School of Medicine of USC, UCLA, and Cleveland Clinic found that hospitalization for severe COVID-19 in 2020 carried a cardiac risk equivalent to having a pre-existing history of heart disease.

The increased risk extends beyond the acute phase of infection, with continued elevated risk observed three years after initial infection, according to Dr. Hooman Allayee, a professor at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine. “Our study shows three years out, people who got COVID during that first wave of infections are at continued increased risk for heart attacks, strokes and dying,” Allayee stated. The research, published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, did not include data from individuals infected after widespread vaccine availability.

The findings suggest that severe COVID-19 infection can increase heart attack and stroke risk to a degree comparable to having a history of heart disease. The study similarly identified a correlation between non-O blood types and a considerably higher risk, representing a potential gene-pathogen interaction influencing cardiovascular outcomes.

Data from 2022 also revealed a significant increase in age-adjusted and risk-adjusted mortality rates from both heart disease and stroke during the COVID-19 pandemic. Contributing factors included adverse impacts on health and lifestyle behaviors, as well as delays in seeking medical care due to fear and anxiety.

Long-term cardiac complications following COVID-19 include ischemic heart disease, heart failure, arrhythmias, and myocarditis, according to the National Institutes of Health. The continued increased risk associated with prior COVID-19 infection, despite vaccine availability, underscores the ongoing public health implications of the virus, as noted by Allayee: “COVID, despite the vaccines, is still a public health issue.”