Global fall in stroke-related hospitalization despite uptick in illness associated with Covid-19

A new study has reported a global decline in the volume of stroke hospitalizations, despite an uptick in stroke-related illness reported with Covid-19.

The authors of the study also stated that medical centres with higher Covid-19 inpatient volumes experienced steeper declines.

For the study, the researchers analysed 254,000 stroke hospitalizations worldwide. They found an 11.5 per cent decrease in stroke admissions, a 13.2 per cent decrease in intravenous thrombolysis, and an 11.9 per cent decrease in IVT transfers during the first four pandemic months, compared to the immediately preceding period.

They found 91,373 stroke admissions in the four months immediately before the inception of the Covid-19 pandemic compared to 80,894 entries during the pandemic months.

There were 13,334 IVT therapies in the four months preceding compared to 11,570 procedures during the pandemic. Inter-facility IVT transfers decreased from 1,337 to 1,178.

"These reductions were observed regardless of Covid-19 hospitalization burden, pre-pandemic stroke, and IVT volumes," added lead author Raul Nogueira, professor of Neurology at Emory University School of Medicine, and Director of Interventional Neurology/ Neuroradiology at Grady.