On the eve of World Stroke Day, doctors from Nanavati Hospital revealed the results of a four-month study conducted on Covid-19 patients who suffered from a stroke during their treatment. According to the findings, almost 1.4 per cent of the Covid-19 patients suffered strokes while undergoing treatment. However, taking into consideration the results, doctors stress the need for timely treatment of Covid-19 patients with stroke as none of the patients at the hospital got admitted within the golden hour.
The study was conducted on 1,500 Covid-19 patients between May and August, of which 21 of them had developed strokes. Moreover, for a comparative study, another 21 non-Covid patients were also included in the study who also suffered from a stroke.
As per the study, 66.7% per cent of the Covid-19 patients who suffered strokes had hypertension, while 33.3% per cent had diabetes. Along with this, they also had other underlying health issues like heart failure, CAD, asthma, chronic renal disease among others.
As per a report of the Lancet— ‘Covid-19 related stroke in young individuals’, novel coronavirus related strokes might also happen among younger patients without any vascular ailments.
“The mean age of patients with Covid-19 who suffered strokes was 57.29 years. Whereas, the mean age of non-Covid patients was 60.95 years. This shows that the incidences of stroke were more common among younger patients with novel coronavirus,” said Dr. Pradyumna Oak, Director and Head of Neurology of the hospital and principal author of the study.
The coronavirus can cause three types of strokes, namely - Haemorrhagic stroke – rupture of a blood vessel leading to accumulation of blood in the brain, Ischaemic stroke – blockage of a blood vessel leading to brain stroke due to lack of oxygen, CVT (Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis) – blockage of veins in the brain leading to brain damage. Despite the seriousness of the stroke among Covid-19 patients, in the study, none of the surveyed patients reached hospitals within the golden hour. It also resulted in the death of three of the patients while the hospital hasn’t recorded a single death of non-Covid patients with stroke.
“The study reinforces the importance of early diagnosis and intensive care in managing stroke. The understanding of increased D-Dimer levels and probability of stroke correlation, can further strengthen prevention of stroke in COVID patients,” said, Dr. Oak
