On Wednesday, doctors from Mount Sinai Health System, New York, said COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, has been causing sudden strokes in individuals in their 30s and 40s who are not otherwise critically ill.
Patients might not be willing to call 911, as they have heard that hospitals are overcrowded with coronavirus cases, according to the doctors.
There is strong evidence that COVID-19 infection can lead to blood clotting in some unusual ways, increasing the risk of stroke.
Neurosurgeon Dr. Thomas Oxley and his team gave details of five patients under the age of 50 who had mild coronavirus symptoms or no symptoms at all.
“The virus seems to be causing increased clotting in the large arteries, leading to severe stroke,” Dr. Oxley told CNN. “Our report shows a seven-fold increase in incidence of sudden stroke in young patients during the past two weeks. Most of these patients have no past medical history and were at home with either mild symptoms (or in two cases, no symptoms) of COVID.”
“All tested positive,” he added. “Two of them delayed calling an ambulance.”
Other medical professionals have also reported that many people hesitate to call 911 or go to ERs because of the ongoing pandemic.
The doctors explained that it is uncommon for younger people to have sudden strokes, especially due to blood clots in the large vessels in the brain.
They wrote, “For comparison, our service, over the previous 12 months, has treated on average 0.73 patients every 2 weeks under the age of 50 years with large vessel stroke.”
A blood clot in a larger blood vessel can cause severe damage if left untreated; it should be removed right away. “At least one patient has died, and others are in rehabilitation facilities, intensive care or in the stroke unit,” said Dr. Oxley. “Only one went home but will require intense care.”
“The average person who has a large vessel stroke is severely impaired,” he continued. “It means it a bigger clot. It includes one of the largest arteries in the brain.”
Immediate treatment is vital because brain cells die when the blood flow is stopped. “The most effective treatment for large vessel stroke is clot retrieval, but this must be performed within 6 hours, and sometimes within 24 hours,” Dr. Oxley said.
The team said they advise people to watch themselves for COVID-19 symptoms and call 911 immediately if they experience any signs of a stroke.
“Up until now, people have been advised to only call for an ambulance with shortness of breath or high fever,” Dr. Oxley wrote. You must think and act “FAST.” Dr. Oxley said the easiest way is to remember “FAST” where “F is for face drooping, A for arm weakness, S for speech difficulty, and T for time to call 911.”
