Accelerated vascular ageing after COVID-19 infection: the CARTESIAN study
An erratum to this article was published (Eur Heart J, 1 Dec 2025 ↗)
Authors' conclusion
COVID-19 is associated with early vascular ageing in the long term, especially in women.
Study context
- Population
- COVID-19 survivors and COVID-19-negative controls (age 50 ± 15 years, 49.2% women)
- Participants
- 2,390 survivors
- Exposure
- COVID-19-positive vs COVID-19-negative controls
- Outcome
- Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV), a biomarker of large artery stiffness
Methodological detailsmulticentre, 34 centres in 16 countries
- Multicentre
- 34 centres in 16 countries
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Difference
+0.41 m/s
P < 0.001
Not hospitalized vs Controls
Difference
+0.37 m/s
P = 0.001
General wards vs Controls
Difference
+0.40 m/s
P = 0.003
ICU vs Controls
Controls
7.53
adjusted mean · 95% CI 7.09–7.97 · m/s
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Adjusted pulse wave velocity (PWV) difference vs controls, women (sex-stratified)
M/s
- Women, group 2 (not hospitalized) vs controls
- +0.55
- Women, group 3 (general wards) vs controls
- +0.60
- Women, group 4 (intensive care units) vs controls
- +1.09
- P < .001 for all
Adjusted PWV difference vs controls, men (sex-stratified)
- PWV differences not significant in men
PWV by persistent symptoms, COVID-19-positive women
- Persistent symptoms: adjusted PWV
- 7.52 m/s (95% CI 7.09; 7.96)
- No persistent symptoms: adjusted PWV
- 7.13 m/s (95% CI 6.67; 7.59)
- Persistent symptoms vs none
- P < 0.001
- Regardless of disease severity and CV confounders
PWV change over 12 months
- Stable or improved PWV in COVID+ groups; progression in COVID- group
Parts of this Brief are withheld: the automatic checks could not confirm them against the abstract.
Original publication
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