Younger stroke patients with Covid often face worse outcomes: Study

According to data presented today at the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery’s (SNIS) 19th Annual Meeting, stroke patients with COVID-19 have poorer outcomes and are frequently younger and healthier. COVID-19 carriers are more than 2.5 times more likely to have a negative outcome and a difficult recovery after a stroke.

The study, “Characteristics of a COVID-19 Cohort with Large Vessel Occlusion: A Multicenter International Study,” reviewed data for 575 patients with acute large vessel occlusion (LVO) -; 194 who had COVID-19 and 381 who did not. These patients spanned nearly 50 thrombectomy comprehensive stroke centers across Europe and North America. The control group was composed of patients who presented with LVO and received a mechanical thrombectomy between January 2018 and December 2020. Thrombectomy is a minimally invasive procedure that uses a catheter to reopen blocked arteries in the brain.

The scientists compared which individuals had successful revascularizations – a technique aimed at restoring blood flow into blocked arteries or veins – and left the hospital with little to no disability in the research. The severity of the virus at the time of stroke start was moderate in 75.5 percent of COVID-19 cases, severe in 15.8 percent, and critical in 8.7 percent. The average time between symptoms and stroke onset was roughly nine days, and a stroke was the first symptom of the condition for 34% of the COVID-19 group.

Researchers discovered that COVID-19 patients (who were younger and had less risk factors) were less likely to have effective revascularization. Furthermore, the thrombectomy and hospital stay were both extended in the COVID-19 group. Most concerning, fatality rates in the COVID-19 group were more than twice as high as in the control group. Overall, COVID-19 was a predictor of poorer outcomes, despite the fact that many of the patients were younger, healthier, and even had minimal viral symptoms prior to the start of stroke.