Study By TN Doctors Finds Fourfold Increase In Coronary Artery Ectasia After Covid-19
Published in the European Heart Journal, the detailed research by Dr J Cecily Mary Majalla and Dr A Antonia Stephen performed angiography on 19,720 people.
Published : December 9, 2025 at 4:41 PM IST
Chennai: The incidence of coronary artery ectasia, a rare condition where the coronary arteries are abnormally widened, has increased fourfold after the Covid-19 pandemic, found a study by doctors of a Tamil Nadu government hospital.
The pandemic has had a major impact on human life, and the medical fraternity is separating the pre- and post-Covid-19 periods to assess its impact that caused various changes in the functions of the human body.
One of the important aspects of it is that the number of people suffering from heart diseases, including heart attacks and undergoing treatment has increased many times after the pandemic period. The prime reasons behind the attacks were studied by Dr J Cecily Mary Majalla, head of the Department of Cardiology and professor of Tamil Nadu Government Multispeciality Hospital, and cardiologist Dr A Antonia Stephen, which has been published in the European Heart Journal.
"We performed angiography on those who had had heart attacks before Covid-19. When we performed angiography on patients who had heart attacks after Covid-19, we saw that the vessels that carry blood to the heart are swollen by one-and-a-half times. To find out why, we compared seven years of data and angiography results. We also analysed the medical data of 8,300 patients who underwent angiography in the pre-Covid period from 2017 to 2019 and the data of 11,420 people who underwent angiography after Covid from 2020 to 2023, totalling 19,720 people," Dr Majalla said.
"Of these, data from people aged 18 to 80 years, including pregnant women, were also analysed. This study was published in the European Heart Journal. Coronary artery ectasia is a condition in which the blood vessels leading to the heart become one-and-a-half times or more dilated and swollen. In such a situation, blood flow to the heart muscles is reduced or blocked. Sometimes blood clots also form, which can lead to blood clots in the vessels and result in a heart attack," he added.
Dr Majalla said those infected with Covid are likely to develop endothelial dysfunction as the cells lining the blood vessels get damaged, leading to blood clots, blockages, and inflammation. As a result, the heart fails to function.
He said that only 7% of people in the 30-40 age bracket had heart failure before Covid, which has now increased to 14%. The number of people suffering from heart failure has also increased over fourfold from 15% to 62% after Covid, affecting 63% of men and 39% of women. "Heart failure affects men more than women. Since it is more common in young people, we should be more careful," he warned.
"Smoking must be stopped to avoid heart failure at a young age. It is also important to keep blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and lipids under control and ensure that you do not become dehydrated during exercise," he added.
"Kawasaki disease (KD) primarily affects the coronary arteries after Covid-19 in children. It is a severe vasculitis (blood vessel inflammation) that usually occurs in children under five and damages the arteries, especially the coronary arteries. But this disease has been rarely diagnosed. Similarly, the incidence of coronary artery disease has increased due to the viral infection after Covid,' said Dr Stephen.
