Long COVID Found to Trigger Hidden Heart and Lung Damage That Can Last A Year or More
Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team May 08, 2025 9 hours, 16 minutes ago
Medical News: Effects of COVID-19 Pose Serious Risks
A groundbreaking new study from researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York has found that people suffering from long COVID can have ongoing inflammation in their heart and lungs for up to a year after infection, even if standard medical tests show no problems. This could put them at risk for developing serious heart and lung diseases later in life, even if they had no symptoms during their initial COVID-19 infection.
Long COVID Found to Trigger Hidden Heart and Lung Damage That Can Last A Year or More
The findings come from the largest study so far using advanced imaging techniques to look at the internal effects of long COVID. Researchers used a powerful diagnostic method called PET/MRI to scan the hearts and lungs of patients and discovered hidden abnormalities in tissues and blood vessels. This
Medical News report highlights that these changes were often invisible to traditional diagnostic tools but could help explain common long COVID symptoms like chest pain, fatigue, and difficulty breathing.
Inflammation That Lingers in the Body
The study involved 100 adult patients who had tested positive for COVID-19 between December 2020 and July 2021. All were experiencing persistent symptoms related to their heart and lungs nearly a year after infection. Most had no history of cardiovascular disease. Around 300 days after their initial illness, 91 of these patients were given PET/MRI scans.
The results were eye-opening. More than half—52 out of 91 patients—had visible signs of inflammation in areas such as the heart muscle, the lining around the heart (pericardium), heart valves (particularly the mitral valve), and the blood vessels that supply the lungs and body, including the aorta and pulmonary arteries. In many cases, multiple parts of the heart and lung system were affected.
Some of the most common findings included:
-Heart muscle damage resembling myocarditis or scarring in 22 patients
-Pericardial issues such as inflammation or fluid buildup in 20 patients
-Inflammation near the mitral valve in 10 patients
-Inflammation of blood vessels in 28 patients
All these conditions were linked to symptoms like chest pain, tiredness, and trouble breathing that had persisted since their initial infection.
Molecular Evidence Confirms the Inflammation
To add another layer of evidence, scientists also analyzed blood samples from the patients to check for proteins that indicate inflammation or immune activity. These proteins, known as biomarkers, were found to be abnormal in those with damaged heart and lung tissues. The abnormalities lined up with the imaging results, proving that what doctors were seeing on the scans was part of a bigger picture of ongoing immune-related damage.
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To rule out the possibility that these findings were common after COVID in general, the researchers studied a separate group of nine people who had recovered from COVID-19 but did not have any lingering cardiopulmonary symptoms. None of these control patients showed any of the problems seen in the long COVID group—either in their scans or in their blood protein levels.
Why This Matters for Everyone Who Has Had COVID-19
According to Dr. Maria G. Trivieri, the study’s lead author and an Associate Professor at the Icahn School of Medicine, “This study brings us closer to understanding how SARS-CoV-2 affects the heart and lungs over time. We believe long COVID results in an inflammatory response that may predispose patients to premature coronary artery disease, pulmonary hypertension, and valvular damage.”
Another co-author, Dr. David Putrino, Director at the Cohen Center for Recovery from Complex Chronic Illness at Mount Sinai, warned, “Even mild or asymptomatic infections can have serious cardiovascular consequences. This paper provides more data to highlight that SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that profoundly affects vascular health, and every new infection can do damage. Infection prevention is crucial.”
Further Evidence from CT Scans and Broader Symptoms
In addition to PET/MRI scans, many patients underwent another advanced scan called dual-energy CT (DECT). These scans showed that 90 percent of participants had lung abnormalities nearly a year after infection. About two-thirds had visible lung infiltrates, and nearly 60 percent showed abnormal blood flow in the lungs. These findings, combined with the heart inflammation, paint a worrying picture of long-term damage.
Implications for Patients and Healthcare Providers
Dr. Zahi Fayad, senior author of the study and Director of the Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Institute at Mount Sinai, emphasized the impact of this research on medical practice. “These findings should change how we approach care and surveillance. Not only must we recognize SARS-CoV-2 as a long-term cardiovascular risk factor, but we also need to integrate molecular imaging into the routine evaluation of post-COVID patients,” he said.
Long-Term Monitoring May Be Necessary
The research team is continuing to follow this group of patients to see how their health evolves over time. They are also exploring whether the changes found through imaging and blood testing can help predict who is most at risk of developing serious chronic diseases down the line.
Conclusion
This important study shows that the damage caused by COVID-19 does not always go away when the infection ends. Even in people who appeared to recover or had only mild initial symptoms, long-term inflammation in the heart and lungs may silently persist for months. The researchers stress that doctors should not ignore ongoing symptoms and should consider a patient’s COVID history when diagnosing new heart or lung problems. With millions of people affected by long COVID around the world, this research underscores the need for better follow-up care and long-term health monitoring to prevent more serious disease from developing later in life. The warning is clear—COVID-19 leaves a deeper footprint in the body than many realize.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
https://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/early/2025/04/30/jnumed.124.268980
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https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/university-of-connecticut-study-warns-that-long-covid-is-quietly-damaging-the-brain-and-mental-health-of-thousands
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https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/long-covid
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