Swedish researchers have found that those who have had COVID-19 have an increased risk of thrombosis for up to six months. This is especially true for patients from the first wave of infection,
whose disease was particularly severe. According to the researchers, this underscores the importance of vaccination, because although clots can occur after vaccination, the risk of such an event is significantly lower.
Doctors have long known that the likelihood of blood clots increases significantly in people who have had COVID-19, especially those who require hospitalization. But they wanted to know exactly when, after the illness, the risk returns to the average statistical level. To do this, Swedish researchers monitored the health of more than one million patients with COVID-19 from February 2020 to May 2021 and compared their indicators with those of 4 million Swedes of the same age and sex who did not have COVID-19.
It turns out that the risk increases after infection. When scientists compared the risk of thrombosis after COVID-19 with the normal risk, they found that According to a study published in the BMJ, the increased risk of thrombosis in those who fell ill during the first wave was higher than in subsequent waves, most likely because treatment methods improved as the pandemic progressed and vaccination of older individuals began by the start of the second wave.
We explain quickly, simply, and clearly what happened, why it matters, and what happens next. The number of offers should remain: Episodes The end of the story: Podcast Advertising The risk of pulmonary thrombosis in people with severe COVID was 290 times higher than normal, and 7 times higher than normal in people with mild COVID. However, mild COVID did not increase the risk of internal bleeding.
“For those who have not yet been vaccinated, this is actually a very good reason to get vaccinated, because the risk of post-COVID thrombosis is much higher than the risk associated with vaccination,” says study leader Anna-Maria Fors Connolly from Umeå University.
Although scientists have not been able to prove that COVID causes thrombosis, they have several working hypotheses. This can be a direct effect of the virus on the layer of cells lining the blood vessels, an increased inflammatory response to the virus, or the body itself starting to form clots at the wrong time.
As vaccines help to mitigate the course of the disease but do not provide guaranteed protection against infection, especially in the case of Omicron”, medical professionals remind people that even after a mild case of COVID-19, it is necessary to carefully monitor for possible complications, including thrombosis.
At the same time, scientists emphasize that although the risk of blood clots increases slightly with vaccination, it is still significantly lower and does not last as long as the risk associated with a previous infection.
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