COVID-19 Increases Risk of Stroke

COVID-19 has been found to be an independent risk factor for acute ischemic stroke. The findings were confirmed using imaging techniques.

COVID-19 infection significantly increases the risk of acute ischemic stroke. Therefore, patients with COVID-19 should be monitored more aggressively for stroke to reduce their risk for morbidity and mortality.

After adjusting for age, gender, and risk factors, COVID-19 infection had a significant independent association with acute ischemic stroke compared to control subjects (OR 3.9; 95% CI 1.7-8.9; p=0.001).

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Stroke is a brain attack, which occurs when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted. It affects all age groups; according to the WHO, 15 million people are affected by stroke annually.

‘Patients with COVID-19 should be evaluated promptly for acute neurologic changes if they are suspected of having stroke, in order to reduce morbidity and mortality’
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This is the first major peer reviewed study to show that COVID-19 infection is a risk factor for acute strokes.

Retrospective case-control study was conducted on 123 patients presenting to New York City hospital for suspicion of stroke during COVID-19 pandemic during March to April 2020 during COVID-19 pandemic

Comparing the group of patients with stroke versus non-stroke, we showed significantly elevated number of patients with COVID-19 infection among the stroke group after stratifying for other known common stroke risk factors.

Coronavirus
Coronaviruses infect animals, humans, and birds. Human coronaviruses, such as SARS, MERS, and 2019-nCoV cause respiratory distress and even death. The S protein is the infectious agent of the virus.

This is the first major peer reviewed study to establish a link between SARS-CoV-2 infection and increased stroke risk when accounting for confounding risk factors. Patients with COVID-19 should be evaluated early for acute neurological changes and timely workup should be performed in patients suspected to have stroke to reduce morbidity and mortality.

Source-Newswise

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