After the observation, the neurologists saw that 16 percent -- 13 of the 62 – patients with COVID-19 and stroke died.

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Stroke patients in India having coronavirus infection have shown unexpected high mortality in comparison with such patients prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, a first such study has suggested.

For the study, a group of neurologists observed 62 stroke patients from 13 hospitals across Karnataka’s Bengaluru for more than three months and compared them with 111 stroke patients they had treated during the same period of time in 2019, reported The New Indian Express.

Of these, 34 (77.4 percent) were male patients. The mean age of patients was 55 years, said the report.

After the observation, the neurologists saw that 16 percent -- 13 of the 62 – patients with COVID-19 and stroke died. This mortality rate is high and not observed during routine non-COVID-19 strokes, they reportedly said.

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Among all the patients observed, 60 (97 percent) had ischemic strokes, which is caused by a blockage in an artery that supplies blood to the brain and the remaining two (3 percent) had hemorrhagic strokes that occur when blood from an artery begins bleeding into the brain, the report stated.

The study has further revealed that many coronavirus infected people have suffered strokes without conventional risk factors.

As per the report, the researchers found that 26 percent -- one in four, or 16 of the 62 — did not have conventional risk factors for stroke, which include hypertension, cardiovascular disease or diabetes.

The study also suggested that 59 percent -- 37 of the 62 patients -- had residual neurological disability scores, measuring neurological issues even after recovery, of 3-5 at discharge.

At score 3, the patient has moderate disability where he or she needs some help but can walk without assistance. Patient with score 4 has moderate disability with being unable to walk and attend to needs without assistance. Score 5 indicates severe disability in the patient where he or she is bed-ridden, incontinent and needs constant nursing care and attention, as per the report.

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First Published on Nov 7, 2020 10:27 am

Stroke patients with COVID-19 show unexpected high mortality: Study

After the observation, the neurologists saw that 16 percent -- 13 of the 62 – patients with COVID-19 and stroke died.

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