More than half of coronavirus patients who received a heart scan in hospitals demonstrated "abnormalities" in their heart function, according to a major new study. It adds to growing evidence that COVID-19 causes unusually excessive blood-clotting, which can damage organs throughout the body.

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The new research based on data from 69 countries, published in the European Heart Journal and commissioned by the British Heart Foundation, found that 55 percent of 1,261 patients scanned had abnormally functioning hearts.

Around one in seven patients who were scanned showed "severe abnormalities" which were likely to have a significant impact on their chances of survival and recovery.