According to a new study in the British Medical Journal (via The Guardian), the risk of suffering serious blood clots increases in people who have been infected with Covid-19, for up to six months post-infection.
Reseachers used and compared data from the national registries of Sweden involving more than a million people who got Covid, between February 2020 and May 2021.
They also had control groups of more than 4 million people without Covid infections.
The study found that those who had Covid-19 suffered an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, up to 6 months post-infection.
Pulmonary embolism is essentially a blood clot that blocked the arteries in a person’s lungs.
Besides pulmonary embolism, the study also showed that there was an increase danger of deep vein thrombosis for up to 3 months post-infection.
Deep vein thrombosis is a type of blood blot that is usually found in a person’s legs.
The study found that there was a 33-time increase in the risk of pulmonary embolism, and a 5-time increase for deep vein thrombosis, in persons who have had Covid infections.
Among those more at risk from the blood clots are those who have suffered severe symptoms from the coronavirus, and those with pre-existing ailments.
However, even those who have had mild cases of Covid infection also face a higher risk of getting the blood clots.
The researchers also said that with vaccine coverage and the improving treatment standards as the pandemic went on, the chances of the blood clots have since dipped in the later stages of the pandemic as compared to the first wave.
They also highlighted the importance of the vaccinations, and they called for more treatment to prevent blood clots from developing, especially in the cases that were high risk.