Open AccessAcute stroke in young patients positive for COVID-19: A report of six cases
Author(s) -
Tur Kobak Esma
Publication year - 2021
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.138
H-Index - 16
ISSN - 1823-6138
DOI - 10.54029/2021fna
Subject(s) - medicine , covid-19 , stroke (engine) , pneumonia , occlusion , cardiology , pathology , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , mechanical engineering , outbreak , engineering
We report here 6 young patients of stroke with COVID-19 infection. These patients were positive for COVID-19, as confirmed using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) The patients’ mean age was 44.5 ± 1 years, and 83% were young males without cerebrovascular risk factors. Five patients had an ischemic stroke, one patient had intracranial hemorrhage. The mean stroke onset time was 10.2 ± 6.1 days after the COVID-19 diagnosis. Two patients were symptom-free for COVID-19. The mean National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was 9.1 ± 5.3. Three patients had severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Large vessel occlusion was detected in 3 patients with ischemic stroke. Two patients were treated with intravenous thrombolytic, one patient underwent a mechanical thrombectomy, and an elective stent was fitted on another patient. In conclusion, COVID-19 should be considered as a possible cause particularly in young strokes during the pandemic period.