A new study shows that people who have contracted Covid-19 are at risk of developing dangerous blood clots for up to six months. The researchers found that the risk of developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) “significantly increased” within three months of infection with Covid-19, six months after pulmonary embolism (blockage of blood vessels in the lungs) and two months after bleeding.
The results show that people with severe health problems are at greater risk, as are people with more severe Covid-19. The risks were greater for the first wave of the pandemic than for the second and third waves.
This could reverse the role of vaccines and treatments, especially in the elderly, in reducing the risk of complications, the researchers said. The expert panel behind the study, which was published in the British Medical Journal, said the findings are important to offer patients some drugs to prevent blood clots.
For the study, experts from Ume ას University in Sweden looked at data on more than one million people in the country who tested positive for the virus from February 2020 to May 2021. They compared more than four million people without the virus.
The team also studied the risk of developing a blood clot in the period after symptoms of Covid appeared, relatively long before people tested positive before and after symptoms disappeared. The results showed a five-fold increase in the risk of DVT, a 33-fold increase in the risk of developing a pulmonary embolism, and a nearly two-fold increase in the risk of bleeding within 30 days of injury.
In absolute terms, this means that the first DVT was observed in 401 patients with Covid-19 (absolute risk 0.04%) and 267 patients without (absolute risk 0.01%) during this period. Meanwhile, first pulmonary embolism was observed in 1761 patients with Covid (absolute risk 0.17%) and without 171 (absolute risk 0.004%).
The first hemorrhage was observed in 1002 patients with covid (absolute risk 0.10%) and 1292 patients without (absolute risk 0.04%). For most patients, the risks persist for up to six months.
The team concluded that our findings likely support anticoagulation (preventive therapy) to prevent thrombotic events, especially in high-risk patients, and reinforce the importance of vaccination against COVID-19.
This comes after British experts said that an increase in the number of coronavirus infections could lead to an increase in deaths and hospitalizations. Covid rates in England are the highest ever, and the two variants of Omicron – BA.1 and BA.2 – have caused a double pandemic – one in January and one in March.
The number of Covid-19 patients in a UK hospital also rose to its highest level in more than 13 months. 20,398 patients were hospitalized on Monday, according to government data.
Only more than half (56%) are treated for anything other than the coronavirus, about a quarter last summer and fall.
Source: Belfastlive
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
