Stroke risk far higher with COVID-19 than influenza, says study
The increased threat remains even after accounting for vascular risk factors, researchers say
Patients hospitalised with COVID-19 have almost eight-fold higher odds of experiencing an ischaemic stroke than patients hospitalised with influenza, a study suggests.
In a retrospective study, US neurologists drew data from two teaching hospitals in New York City on adults (median age 64) presenting at the ED or hospitalised with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 between March and May this year.
They compared their rate of stroke with patients (median age 62) presenting at the same hospitals who were diagnosed with laboratory-confirmed influenza