Editorial: Cardiovascular Complications at One Year After SARS-CoV-2 Infection are Independent of Underlying Cardiovascular Risk Factors or Severity of COVID-19

The consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection include short-term, long-term, mild, and severe clinical symptoms. The cardiovascular system, including endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, and cardiac myocytes, are important targets for SARS-CoV-2. In February 2022, the findings from a large US cohort of individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 and two sets of control cohorts evaluated the risk and 12-month cardiovascular disease burden. Individuals who had COVID-19 had a 72% increased risk of heart failure, a 63% increased risk of myocardial infarction, and a 52% increased risk of ischemic stroke compared with controls. These results were independent of gender, race, age, and other cardiovascular risk factors, including diabetes, obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and chronic kidney disease. As of 25 April 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that more than 80 million people in the US, more than 22 million people in the UK, and more than 505 million people worldwide were infected with SARS-CoV-2. This Editorial aims to present what is currently known about the cardiovascular outcomes at one year following SARS-CoV-2 infection and highlights that primary care physicians should be mindful of the COVID-19 infection status of their patients when evaluating cardiovascular health.