Title:Implications of COVID-19 to Stroke Medicine: An Epidemiological and
Pathophysiological Perspective
Volume: 20
Issue: 4
Author(s): Alan King and Karen M. Doyle*
Affiliation:
- Department of Physiology, CURAM, Galway
Neuroscience Centre, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
Keywords:
Ischaemic stroke, haemorrhagic stroke, COVID-19, inflammation, cerebrovascular disease, hypercoagulable state.
Abstract:
The neurological complications of Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) including stroke have
been documented in the recent literature. COVID-19-related inflammation is suggested to contribute to
both a hypercoagulable state and haemorrhagic transformation, including in younger individuals.
COVID-19 is associated with a heightened risk of ischaemic stroke. Haemorrhagic stroke in COVID-19
patients is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST)
accounts for <1% of stroke cases in the general population but has come to heightened public attention
due to the increased risk associated with adenoviral COVID-19 vaccines. However, recent evidence
suggests the prevalence of stroke is less in vaccinated individuals than in unvaccinated COVID-19 patients.
This review evaluates the current evidence of COVID-19-related ischaemic and haemorrhagic
stroke, with a focus on current epidemiology and inflammatory-linked pathophysiology in the field of
vascular neurology and stroke medicine.