Increased Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases in People with HIV After Covid-19
An international study has concluded that people with HIV have a higher risk of serious cardiovascular disease after contracting Covid-19. This risk increases by 30% in the first year after the passing of Covid-19, according to the research.
This increased risk is also confirmed in people with HIV who had not previously suffered from cardiovascular disease and in those who had not required hospitalization due to Covid-19. The most common cardiovascular diseases seen include thromboembolic disease, heart failure and other heart diseases.
Effect of Covid-19 on People with HIV
While several studies have linked Covid-19 infection to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in the general population, the effect among people with HIV had not yet been explored before this research. The study includes approximately 18,000 people with HIV, of which 14,000 had not previously been diagnosed with Covid-19, while 4,199 had. In total, 832 suffered cardiovascular disease in the year following Covid-19 or in the same period in the control group.
Researchers and Recommendations
The team of researchers includes members of the Lluita contra les Infecions Foundation, the Center for Epidemiological Studies on STIs and AIDS in Catalonia (CEEISCAT) and the Odense University Hospital (OUH) in Denmark.
Researchers have highlighted that people with HIV who have had Covid-19 have a higher risk of serious cardiovascular disease, especially in the first six months after Covid-19. Therefore, Covid-19 should be considered as an additional risk for people with HIV, and the importance of prevention through vaccination and other preventive interventions during this period of increased risk is emphasized.
Doctors’ recommendations
Dr. Josep M. Llibre, researcher at the Fight Against Infections Foundation and doctor at the Germans Trias Hospital, has highlighted the importance of vaccination against Covid-19 for people with HIV. He also stressed the need to be aware of the increased risk of cardiovascular diseases after Covid-19 and to control other factors that can enhance these diseases, such as smoking, diabetes, hypertension or high cholesterol.