Why has there been an alarming increase in deaths from cardiovascular diseases since Covid-19?

An alarming number of cardiovascular disease-related deaths have occurred since the COVID-19 pandemic, reversing a 10-year downward trend, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). USA and Northwestern University.

“We were concerned by emerging evidence that chronic disease outcomes worsened during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Rebecca S. Woodruff of the CDC. “Unfortunately, this was also the case with cardiovascular disease and stroke, the situation with which was improving before the pandemic,” he added.

The researchers noted that the period of cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths between 2020 and 2022 increased expected trends by 228,000 across all demographic groups.

There was a 9.3% increase over that two-year period, a sharp contrast to the 8.9% decline between 2010 and 2019. Woodruff and his organization blamed the “scale of failure” caused by Covid-19.

Woodruff said COVID-19 has become a barrier to accessing health care for many, delaying treatment for chronic or acute heart problems.

Covid-19 has made it more difficult for many to eat and sleep well, stay active and manage health issues such as blood pressure and blood sugar.

And worst of all, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), new evidence suggests a link between contracting Covid-19 and developing an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

“Research aimed at understanding the factors contributing to this increase in cardiovascular disease mortality can help inform clinical and public health approaches to preventing, detecting and treating cardiovascular disease,” Woodruff added. “Changing priorities for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease is an important first step,” he said.