New Delhi, Nov 2 (IANS): Infection caused by SARS-CoV-2, responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic, can raise the risk for developing dyslipidemia, or high cholesterol by almost 30 per cent, finds a study.

The study, led by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine involving more than 200,000 adults, showed that the abnormal lipid (fat) levels in the blood -- a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke -- may explain the rising worldwide incidences of heart problems post-pandemic.

The research, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, showed that older adults and people with type 2 diabetes experienced about two-fold increased risk for developing dyslipidemia.

Gaetano Santulli, Associate Professor of medicine and of molecular pharmacology at Einstein explained that SARS-CoV-2 can disrupt the function of endothelial cells -- that line the inside of blood vessels and play a critical role in regulating blood lipids.

He advised people to have their lipid levels monitored regularly. They called on high-cholesterol patients to get early treatments.

Santulli said that the advice would apply to all adults, not just those formally diagnosed with Covid-19, considering that many people have been infected without realising it.

The study focussed on the incidence of dyslipidemia in a group of more than 200,000 adults living in Naples, Italy, during the three years before the start of the pandemic (2017-2019) and compared with the same group between 2020-2022.

The findings showed Covid raised the risk of developing dyslipidemia by an average of 29 per cent in all participants. The risk was even higher among people over age 65 and those with chronic conditions, particularly diabetes and obesity, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and hypertension, the study revealed.