A concerning report recently published in Nature Medicine suggests even a mild case of COVID-19 can increase the long-term risks of serious cardiovascular diseases such as stroke, heart attack and heart failure.

The study highlights our limited understanding of the full consequences of COVID-19 infection and the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Australia has now reported more than 10 million cases of acute COVID-19 infection and more than 14,000 deaths, with at least 600 million more people infected worldwide.

The immediate effects of COVID-19 infection on the heart have been well documented, with myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) an infrequent but potentially lethal complication. But myocarditis only occurs in about 40 people per million infected.