Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Jun;15(4):361-364.
doi: 10.1177/1747493020923472. Epub 2020 Apr 29.

COVID-19 and stroke-A global World Stroke Organization perspective

Hugh S Markus  1 , Michael Brainin  2
Affiliations

COVID-19 and stroke-A global World Stroke Organization perspective

Hugh S Markus et al. Int J Stroke. 2020 Jun.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic affecting all parts of the world is having huge implications for stroke care. Not only do stroke patients appear to be more susceptible to severe infection, but the pandemic is having major implications on how we deliver stroke care, while ensuing safety of both our patients and health care professionals. COVID-19 infection itself has also been described as a risk factor for stroke. The World Stroke Organization has been monitoring the impact of the pandemic globally, and has identified an initial marked fall in stroke presentations as well as a widespread impact on stroke services. The pandemic is changing the way we deliver care, and has highlighted the enormous potential of telemedicine in stroke care.

Keywords: COVID-19; Intensive Care Unit; World Stroke Organization; healthcare systems; pandemic; stroke.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Comment in

  • The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on a stroke center in Latin America.
    Tulius Silva M, Quintanilha G, Giesel L, Beatriz Soldati A, Jabarra C, Almeida C, Rocha L, Romão T, Sptiz C, Soares C, Sander Ribeiro A, Damasceno M, Araujo A, Lima M. Tulius Silva M, et al. Int J Stroke. 2020 Oct;15(7):813-814. doi: 10.1177/1747493020941637. Epub 2020 Jul 14. Int J Stroke. 2020. PMID: 32589117 No abstract available.

References

    1. Aggarwal G, Lippi G and Henry BM. Cerebrovascular disease is associated with an increased disease severity in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): a pooled analysis of published literature. Int J Stoke. 2020; 15(4): 385–389. - PubMed
    1. Brainin M. Stroke care and the COVID19 pandemic words from our President, www.world-stroke.org/news-and-blog/news/stroke-care-and-the-covid19-pand... (accessed 11 April 2020).
    1. Bersano A and Pantoni L. On being a neurologist in Italy at the time of the COVID-19 outbreak. Neurology. Epub ahead of print 3 April 2020. DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000009508. - PubMed
    1. Coull AJ, Lovett JK, Rothwell PM. Oxford Vascular Study. Population based study of early risk of stroke after transient ischaemic attack or minor stroke: implications for public education and organisation of services. BMJ 2004; 328: 326. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Clinical guide for the management of stroke patients during the coronavirus pandemic 23 March 2020 Version 1, www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/03/C033-... (accessed 11 April 2020).

LinkOut - more resources