COVID increases your risk for cardiac complications—immediately and into the future, experts say. Here's how you can protect your heart

(Credit: Marco Di Lauro—Getty Images)

Long COVID isn’t the only opportunity for the virus to wreak havoc later than expected.

Even a mild case of COVID can lead to an increased risk of cardiac issues like heart failure and stroke for at least a year, according to a March study by Veterans Affairs Department researchers. Deaths from heart attacks soared during pandemic surges—especially among those ages 25-44, a usually low-risk population, Cedars-Sinai researchers announced last fall. And emerging data continue to support these and similar findings.