SARS-CoV-2 Infection Linked to More Rapid Plaque Growth in Lesions
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Feb. 10, 2025 -- Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is associated with more rapid progression of coronary artery lesion-based plaque volume, according to a study published online Feb. 4 in Radiology.
Neng Dai, M.D., from Fudan University in Shanghai, and colleagues examined the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on coronary inflammation and plaques using coronary computed tomography angiography. Lesions of patients with and without SARS-CoV-2 infection were compared in terms of the quantitative total and compositional percent atheroma volume (PAV) and annualized PAV change, presence of high-risk plaque, and attenuation of lesion-specific pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) at baseline and follow-up.
Data were included for 2,108 coronary artery lesions in 690 patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection and 480 lesions in 113 patients without SARS-CoV-2 infection. The researchers found that lesions in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection demonstrated more rapid progression of overall PAV (0.90 versus 0.62 percent per year) and noncalcified PAV (0.78 versus 0.42 percent per year) compared with lesions in patients without SARS-CoV-2 infection. Despite similar prevalence at baseline, lesions in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection had a higher incidence of becoming high-risk plaque (21.0 versus 15.8 percent) and higher incidence of PCAT attenuation of –70.1 Hounsfield units or higher (27.1 versus 19.8 percent). A higher risk for target lesion failure was seen in lesions in patients with COVID-19 (10.4 versus 3.1 percent; adjusted hazard ratio, 2.90).
"Our findings suggest that SARS-CoV-2 infection may exacerbate cardiovascular risk by accelerating the advancement of susceptible plaque types and coronary inflammation, thus offering a potential mechanistic rationale for the link between prior SARS-CoV-2 infection and adverse clinical events," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted February 2025
Further Support and Information on COVID-19
Read this next
Common Medications Tied to Older Age at Onset of Parkinson Disease
FRIDAY, April 25, 2025 -- Multiple common medications are associated with a considerable delay of Parkinson disease (PD) symptom onset, according to a study published online March...
Prevalence of Most Cancer Risk Factors Unchanged Before, After Pandemic
THURSDAY, April 24, 2025 -- Smoking rates continued to decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, but other major risk factors for cancer remained stable, according to a study...
Proinflammatory Diet Tied to Higher Risk for Chronic Kidney Disease
WEDNESDAY, April 23, 2025 -- Individuals who eat a proinflammatory diet have a higher likelihood of chronic kidney disease, according to a review published online April 16 in...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.