COVID-19-associated stroke: experience of Regional clinical hospital Krasnoyarsk city

Mechanisms of the impact of the new coronavirus infection on nervous system that leads to various neurological complications, including strokes, and disease patterns and prognosis for stroke patients with COVID-19 are actively discussed in the literature. The aim of the research was a comparison of clinical outcomes in stroke patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection and without. Random sampling of patients with stroke and laboratory-confirmed coronavirus infection SARS-CoV-2 (50 patients) was analyzed retrospectively. The control group consisted of 49 patients with stroke who did not have COVID-19. Patients in both groups were comparable by age, sex, rate of variation and type of stroke, localization of stroke and rating on the Rankin scale before the disease. The results showed that diabetes mellitus significantly more often (more than twice) occurred in stroke patients with COVID-19 (16%) in comparison with the control (7%). Atherosclerosis of brachiocephalic arteries prevailed in acute stroke patients without COVID-19 (88%). The mortality rate in acute stroke patients with COVID-19 was higher (22%) than among those without this infection (6%). At the same time, patients without a combination with COVID-19 had more severe disability on the Rankin scale – three points (moderate disability) – while patients with COVID-19 were discharged with two points on the Rankin scale (slight disability). Probably, this is since SARS-CoV-2 infection more often led to the lethal oucome in patients with more severe stroke and the survived patients were less disabled. Probably in increased samples these differences will be reversed. Thus, this research confirmed data that the association of stroke and COVID-19 significantly worsens clinical outcomes of stroke (2 tables, bibliography: 10 refs)