COVID-19 patients who suffer from an acute ischemic stroke (AIS) are likely to experience more severe, even deadly, strokes than AIS patients who do not have COVID-19.
Research published in Stroke journal analyzed the data of patients with COVID-19 and AIS from 28 health care centers in 16 countries. They then compared this data to that of AIS patients without COVID-19 from the Acute Stroke Registry and Analysis of Lausanne Registry.
Researchers studied 174 COVID-19 and AIS patients between January 27, 2020 and May 19, 2020. Each of these patients was matched to a non-COVID-19 patient with AIS based on certain criteria such as age, gender, and stroke risk factors. Both groups’ stroke severity was assessed using the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale and the modified Rankin score.
The data showed that COVID-19 patients had more severe strokes, had higher risk factor for severe disability following stroke, and were more likely to die of AIS. These findings have prompted researchers to further study the potential explanations for the relationship between COVID-19-associated strokes and stroke severity.
To read more about this study, please click here.
