Language
English
Publication Date
1-1-2026
Journal
Clinical Medicine Insights: Cardiology
DOI
10.1177/11795468261455387
PMID
42205736
PMCID
PMC13201914
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
long COVID, cardiovascular disease, epidemiology
Abstract
Objective: Long COVID is associated with persistent symptoms including cardiovascular complications; however, the epidemiology and directionality of this association remain unclear.
Methods: Utilizing a retrospective cohort study design with cross-sectional analyses, 8,332 respondents aged 18 and older from the 2022 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) who had a prior COVID-19 infection, were analyzed to determine the temporal association between long COVID and cardiovascular disease (CVD), modeling each as both outcome and exposure in separate analyses.
Results: Long COVID was associated with any CVD diagnosis (OR 1.37; 95% CI: 1.05-1.80), specifically angina (OR 1.81; 95% CI: 1.18-2.77) and myocardial infarction (OR 1.50; 95% CI: 1.01-2.23). Temporally, long COVID was associated with higher odds of CVD diagnoses in the same year or following year after COVID-19 (OR 2.62; 95% CI: 1.05-6.51) and in subsequent years only (OR 8.60; 95% CI: 1.53-48.3). Respondents with pre-existing CVD did not have statistically significant greater odds of reporting new long COVID symptoms.
Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that long COVID is associated with the subsequent development of CVD, underscoring the need for further research in this patient population to improve health interventions.
Keywords
long COVID, cardiovascular disease, epidemiology
Published Open-Access
yes
Recommended Citation
Zhang, Geoffrey Y; Lin, John C; Nguyen, Dang; et al., "Long COVID and Cardiovascular Diseases Among U.S. Adults: Results From the U.S. Medical Expenditure Panel Survey" (2026). Faculty, Staff and Students Publications. 6757.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/baylor_docs/6757