How SARS-CoV-2 contributes to heart attacks and strokes

Published by: NIH Research Matters
Published on: October 24, 2023

COVID-19 is known to increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. The intense inflammation that occurs throughout the body in severe cases likely contributes to this increased risk. But it’s not clear whether SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, also affects blood vessels directly.

To find out, an NIH-funded research team, led by Dr. Chiara Giannarelli at New York University School of Medicine, analyzed coronary artery tissue samples from eight people who died of COVID-19 between May 2020 and May 2021. Results appeared in Nature Cardiovascular Research on September 28, 2023.

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cardiovascular disease

SARS-CoV-2 can infect coronary arteries and trigger heart attack, stroke, study suggests

Published September 29, 2023

Published by: CIDRAP
Published on: September 29, 2023
By Mary Van Beusekom

SARS-CoV-2 can directly infect the arteries of the heart, inflaming the fatty plaque inside and raising the risk of heart attack and stroke, suggests a small study published yesterday in Nature Cardiovascular Research.

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cardiovascular disease

SARS-CoV-2 infects coronary arteries, increases plaque inflammation

Published September 28, 2023

Published by: National Institutes of Health
Published on: September 28, 2023

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can directly infect the arteries of the heart and cause the fatty plaque inside arteries to become highly inflamed, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The findings, published in the journal Nature Cardiovascular Research, may help explain why certain people who get COVID-19 have a greater chance of developing cardiovascular disease, or if they already have it, develop more heart-related complications.

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Tag: coronary arteries