A new research from Sweden finds an increased risk of deep vein thrombosis up to three months after COVID infection.
The study published in BMJ has found that COVID is an independent risk factor for deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and bleeding, and that the risk of these outcomes is increased for three, six, and two months after COVID-19, respectively. The study also found a higher risk of events in patients with comorbidities, patients with more severe covid-19, and during the first pandemic wave compared with the second and third waves.
The study, led by Anne-Marie Fors Connolly of the department of clinical microbiology at Umeå University in Sweden, was done on 1,057,174 people who tested positive for the coronavirus between 1 February 2020 and 25 May 2021 in Sweden, matched on age, sex, and county of residence to 4,076,342 control participants.
Risk factors
"The incidence rate ratio for deep vein thrombosis during 1-90 days after covid-19 generally increased with age and was highest during the first pandemic wave in Sweden compared with the second and third waves. Sex did not appear to have a significant effect on the association between covid-19 and deep vein thrombosis," the study says.
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Occurrence of pulmonary embolism was seen more in male participants, the researchers found. "the incidence rate ratios were higher in male participants than in female participants during the first three months after covid-19, and highest in the age group 50-70 years," the study found.
Bleeding events, the study finds, was higher in older people and was higher during the first wave of COVID. "Specifically, the incidence rate ratios were higher in male participants than in female participants during the first two months after covid-19, higher with increasing age, and higher during the first pandemic wave compared with the second and third waves. No increased risk of bleeding was found in mild cases, but a noticeable increase was observed in more severe cases," it found.
Some questions are answered below:
What is deep vein thrombosis?
Deep vein thrombosis occurs when a blood clots in one or more of the deep veins in your body, usually in your legs. It is often caused due to sedentary lifestyle like prolonged hours of sitting or without moving.The common symptoms of deep vein thrombosis are: swelling in the affected region, leg pain, discolored skin, and feeling warm in the affected area.What is pulmonary embolism?
Pulmonary embolism is a blockage in one of the pulmonary arteries in your lungs. When a blood clot reaches the artery of the lung one would experience shortness of breath, chest pain and cough. Apart from this, the person may also experience irregular heartbeat, dizziness, excessive sweating, fever, leg pain, swelling in the leg, and discolored skin.
