COVID patients of any age risk suffering a heart attack in the first two weeks after contracting the illness, experts have warned.
Medics have now highlighted the importance of vaccination across all age groups.
The virus affects all organs in the body and while most people will overcome it within a few days, many have been left with serious health issues and have had to battle debilitating symptoms.
Researchers in Sweden looked at data from more than 86,000 Covid-19 patients.
The team at Umeå University found a three-fold increased risk of acute myocardial infarction and stroke in the first two weeks following Covid-19, The Sun reported.
Writing in the The Lancet, the experts said that the results were across all age groups and had been adjusted for known risk factors such as age, gender and socio-economic factors.
Study co-author Ioannis Katsoularis, consultant physician in cardiology at the Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, explained: "The results indicate that acute cardiovascular complications represent an important clinical manifestation of Covid-19. Our results also show how important it is to vaccinate against Covid-19, in particular the elderly who are at increased risk of acute cardiovascular events."
