Increased risk of serious blood clots up to six months after COVID-19: Study
London, Apr 7: People infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, have an increased risk of developing serious blood clots for up to six months after the infection, even in mild cases, according to a study published in The BMJ.
The researchers found an increased risk of deep vein thrombosis -- a blood clot in the leg -- up to three months after COVID-19 infection, pulmonary embolism -- a blood clot in the lung -- up to six months, and a bleeding event up to two months.
They also show a higher risk of events in patients with underlying conditions, patients with more severe COVID-19, and during the first pandemic wave compared with the second and third waves.
The researchers from Umea University in Sweden noted that these results support measures to prevent thrombotic events, especially for high risk patients, and strengthen the importance of vaccination against COVID-19.
Using national registries in Sweden, they identified more than one million people with confirmed SARSCoV-2 infection between February 1, 2020 and May 25, 2021, matched by age, sex, and county of residence to more than four million people who had not had a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result.
The researchers first calculated the rates of deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and bleeding in COVID-19 individuals during a control period -- before and long after COVID-19 diagnosis -- and compared it to the rates in different time intervals after COVID-19 diagnosis.
They then calculated the rates of deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and bleeding 1-30 days after COVID-19 diagnosis in the COVID-19 group and compared them to the corresponding rates in the control group.
The results show that compared with the control period, risks were significantly increased 90 days after COVID-19 for deep vein thrombosis, 180 days for pulmonary embolism, and 60 days for bleeding.
After taking account of a range of potentially influential factors, the researchers found a five-fold increase in risk of deep vein thrombosis, a 33-fold increase in risk of pulmonary embolism, and an almost twofold increase in risk of bleeding in the 30 days after infection.
This means that a first deep vein thrombosis occurred in 401 patients with COVID-19 and 267 control patients, the researchers said.
A first pulmonary embolism event occurred in 1,761 patients with COVID-19 and 171 control patients, and a first bleeding event occurred in 1,002 patients with covid-19 and 1,292 control patients, they said.
The researchers found that the risks were highest in patients with more severe COVID-19 and during the first pandemic wave compared with the second and third waves, which they said could be explained by improvements in treatment and vaccine coverage in older patients after the first wave.
Even among mild, non-hospitalised COVID-19 patients, the researchers found increased risks of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.
No increased risk of bleeding was found in mild cases, but a noticeable increase was observed in more severe cases.
This is an observational study, so the researchers cannot establish cause, and they acknowledge several limitations which might have affected their findings.
For example, they said VTE may have been underdiagnosed in patients with COVID-19, testing for the disease was limited, especially during the first pandemic wave, and information on vaccination was not available.
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Modi should leverage his ties with world leaders to de-escalate war in West Asia: Omar Abdullah
Jammu (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said India can play a meaningful role in de-escalation in West Asia, given Prime Minister Narendra Modi's strong relations with the warring countries and their neighbours.
He said Pakistan was leveraging ties with Iran and the United States, and that any effort towards ending the war should be welcomed.
"As I said in the House (Assembly), we would like the war to end as soon as possible. The role that the prime minister can play may not be possible for anyone else because of his good relations with all these countries," Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
He, however, said any escalation would not be easy to manage.
"Any such move by US President Donald Trump, despite the long history of Iran resisting external domination, would not be easy," the chief minister said.
Asked about Pakistan mediating in the war, he said, "I will simply say that if any country can play a role in preventing this war, no one should have any objection to it."
He added, "I will repeat what I said … our prime minister has good and close relations with all countries — whether it is Israel, the United States, Iran, or the countries around Iran. If those relationships can be used to make some progress and help ease the situation, it would be a good thing."
Abdullah said attacks by terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed in India, as suggested by a report from the United States, are not unlikely.
Meanwhile, he asserted that any efforts to end the war, be it from Pakistan, must not be resisted.
"Pakistan is using its good relations with Iran and the United States to its advantage, and it has done so. How can we object to that? If that angle helps in stopping the war, would you want them not to act and let the war continue? We want the war to stop. If any country can play a role in that, it should. And if we can play an even better role, then we should do so," he said.
On unemployment in J-K, the chief minister said the issue cannot be resolved overnight, and government jobs alone are not the solution.
He stressed the need to explore alternative avenues, highlighting the importance of Mission Yuva in promoting entrepreneurship.
"Mission Yuva provides not just funding but also support in preparing DPRs and post-startup assistance, such as marketing. In just nine months, distributing Rs 1,000 crore and approving numerous schemes is a significant achievement," he said.
Abdullah credited the coordination between the government and Jammu and Kashmir Bank for the scheme's progress.
