‘Positive’ news for COVID-19 patients

According to a new report, people who are hospitalised with novel coronavirus are less likely to suffer from stroke

While initial reports suggested a significant risk of stroke in patients hospitalised with COVID-19, a new study shows a low risk of stroke in patients hospitalised with the disease. Notably, the majority of afflicted patients had existing risk factors, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

These findings provide more clarity about the role COVID-19 plays in causing stroke in a diverse population of the US. The study paper was published in the journal Stroke from Penn Medicine.

“While there was an initial concern for a high number of strokes related to COVID19, that has not been borne out. Importantly, while the risk for stroke in COVID-19 patients is low, it’s mostly tied to pre-existing conditions – so physicians who do see stroke in hospitalised COVID-19 patients must understand the virus is not the only factor and it’s necessary to follow through with normal diagnostic testing,” said Brett Cucchiara, MD, an associate professor of Neurology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and senior author of the paper.

“However, there are still many unknowns and we need to continue investigating the linkage between stroke and COVID-19, particularly considering the racial disparities surrounding the disease,” added Cucchiara.

To evaluate the risk and incidence of stroke in COVID19 hospitalised patients, researchers analysed data from 844 COVID-19 patients admitted to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and Pennsylvania Hospital between March and May. The team also analysed the data for cases of intracranial haemorrhage (bleeding in the brain).

Researchers found that 2.4 per cent of patients hospitalised for COVID-19 had an ischemic stroke – the most common type of stroke, typically caused by a blood clot in the brain. Importantly, the majority of these stroke patients had existing risk factors, such as high blood pressure (95 per cent) and a history of diabetes (60 per cent) and traditional stroke mechanisms, such as heart failure. Additionally, over onethird had a history of a previous stroke.

Researchers say the results suggest that these cerebrovascular events in hospitalised COVID-19 patients are likely tied to existing conditions and not the sole consequence of the virus. However, other factors could be at play and require continued research.

While the precise mechanisms linking cerebrovascular events to COVID-19 remain uncertain at this time, it has recently been reported that the viral infection, SARS-CoV-2, causes inflammation and a hypercoagulable state (excessive blood clotting) – both could be potential mechanisms leading to stroke.