Having COVID-19 might leave women with a lot more than brain fog, a sense of fatigue or a lost sense of smell.

A new study from a team of researchers spanning Europe has found that women who recovered from COVID-19 had stiffer arteries six months later, adding what amounted to 5 to 10 years of vascular aging, depending on the severity of their illness.

The study tracked more than 2,300 men and women in 18 countries, making it the first large-scale international effort to see how COVID-19 might affect the cardiovascular system after recovery.

As we age, our arteries become stiffer. The stiffer they get, the more quickly blood pulses through. Healthy arteries are more pliant, like stretchy tubes that can absorb the pressure of each heartbeat.

And as arteries stiffen through aging or disease, the heart must work harder, raising the risk of cardiovascular problems.

In early 2020, the highly contagious COVID-19 virus began spreading around the globe, taking the lives of more than 7 million people and sending more than 3.6 million to hospitals.

The researchers noted that the worse a patient’s COVID-19 was, the bigger the hit their arteries took. Those who spent time in hospital intensive care units, for instance, had harder arteries than those who weathered the virus at home.

Now, about that possible gender gap in how the virus leaves its mark: The researchers found that men who had contracted COVID also tended to have stiffer arteries than those who didn’t. But the numbers weren’t as stark.

One hopeful finding for those who received a COVID-19 vaccination: Women who had a vaccine before becoming infected had healthier arteries.