The Epidemiologic Features of Patients With Acute Stroke During COVID-19 Pandemic in a COVID-19 Center in Qazvin City, Iran

Abstract

Background and Aim: The novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) disease is a global pandemic with different presentations ranging from mild respiratory problems to severe septic shock. Previous studies have established the association between acute stroke and COVID-19. Herein, we describe the characteristics of patients with stroke during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, all patients with acute stroke referred to Bouali Hospital were enrolled from March to June 2020. The patients were categorized into two groups with and without COVID-19. Then, the demographic and clinical characteristics of stroke patients in both groups were evaluated. Eventually, SPSS software, version 22 was used to analyze the data. Results: A total of 61 patients with acute stroke were identified, of which 22 patients were positive for COVID-19. Except for the in-hospital mortality (P=0.07) and type of hemorrhagic transformation (P=0.02), we did not find a significant difference in the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients in both groups. The majority of patients with COVID-19 were severely symptomatic. However, the severity of chest CT involvement was significantly correlated with the mean modified Rankin scale (P=0.05). Conclusion: In this study, we revealed that acute stroke affected COVID-19 patients with traditional stroke risk factors at an age typically seen in non-COVID populations, which mainly constitute cryptogenic acute ischemic stroke. We also noted a higher in-hospital mortality rate in patients with COVID-19-associated stroke, which reflects a worse outcome of COVID-19. These results highlight the possible hypercoagulopathy state associated with COVID-19, which predisposes patients to develop stroke.