Kidneys, brain and heart can age much faster after coronary infection

A corona infection can have far-reaching consequences for your organs. “Infection accelerates the aging process,” said Ziyad Al-Aly of the Clinical Epidemiology Center, which has studied data from millions of Americans.

The effects of aging on organs such as the kidneys, brain and heart are strongest in people who have been hospitalized with Covid-19. But there can also be frightening effects in people with a mild course of the disease.

In a year, organs age as fast as they normally would in three to four years, says Al-Aly. “We see that people’s kidney function decreases by 3 to 4 percent in the year following an infection. Normally, such a decrease takes 3 to 4 years.”

Infectious disease specialist Michael Peluso is not surprised by Al-Aly’s research findings. He suspects accelerated aging is caused by a residual virus, he explains ABC 7 Chicago. This causes inflammation, autoimmune problems and alterations in the intestinal flora.

Al-Aly suspects accelerated aging will stop at some point. Further research will need to prove whether this is indeed the case.