American Heart Association awards $10.6M to researchers investigating the long-term cardiovascular effects of COVID-19

The American Heart Association (AHA) has awarded $10.6 million in new research grants to specialists focused on studying the long-term cardiovascular effects of COVID-19.

These “Mechanisms Underlying Cardiovascular Consequences Associated with COVID-19 and long COVID” grants will fund the efforts of eleven different research teams for three years.

“Research shows that 10% to 30% of people who have COVID-19 are experiencing lingering effects of the virus well beyond the initial 2-to-3 weeks expected recovery, a condition known as long COVID. Many of the short- and long-term complications of COVID-19 affect the heart and the brain and are contributing to an increase in cardiovascular disease in ways we do not fully understand,” AHA President Donald M. Lloyd-Jones, MD, ScM, Eileen M. Foell Professor of Heart Research and professor of preventive medicine, medicine and pediatrics at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, said in a statement. “It’s critical that we learn all we can about the pathways and mechanisms in which the virus that causes COVID-19 attacks the body, and, in turn, identify and develop new treatments to help reduce further risk and improve the health of people impacted by this disease. It’s very exciting to know that these new research grants will pave the way for groundbreaking and lifesaving discoveries.”

The research projects chosen for these grants include:

Back in March, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) released a consensus statement summarizing what specialists have learned so far about the evaluation and management of long COVID-19. Click here to read the full document.

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Michael Walter
Michael Walter, Managing Editor

Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.

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