from the M Health Lab Blog by Haley Otman
A new cohort study investigated which risk factors were associated with death in the sickest patients with COVID-19.
“This large study, which encompasses patients admitted to ICUs across the country, highlights COVID-19 in its severe form as predominantly impacting the lungs and kidneys,” says co-author Salim Hayek, M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine and a cardiologist at the Michigan Medicine Frankel Cardiovascular Center. He says the cardiovascular impact of the disease may not be as significant as originally thought.
“While patients with cardiovascular risk factors such as elderly, obese patients and those with hypertension and diabetes mellitus represented a significant proportion of patients with severe COVID-19, heart failure, strokes and heart attacks were not common during their hospitalization.”
Hayek says the long-term effects of COVID-19 on the cardiovascular system are unknown and need to be studied.