India, Aug. 19 -- A new study in the European Heart Journal found that COVID-19 infection may cause blood vessels to age faster, roughly the equivalent of five years, especially in women.
The study looked at 2,390 people from 16 countries between 2020 and 2022. Participants were grouped into different categories such as those who never had COVID, those who had COVID but weren't hospitalized, those who were hospitalized, and those admitted to intensive care. The average age was 50, and about half were women.
Researchers measured how stiff participants' arteries were using a test called pulse wave velocity (PWV), which checks how fast blood flows from the neck to the legs. They tested people 6 months after infection and again at 12 months....