The Connection Between COVID-19 and Stroke

As the UAE continues to combat the Coronavirus, doctors around the world warn that the virus might cause sudden strokes for adults in their 30s and 40s, even if they are not severely sick. Doctors believe that the virus can cause blood clots in unusual ways, leading to increased strokes among people who don’t suffer from them. Some people are still reluctant to visit the hospital for fear of contracting the virus; however, it is crucial to call your doctor or the nearest hospital if you experience severe symptoms.

What to Do if You Think You Have COVID-19

If you have COVID-19 or you think you have the virus, you can care for yourself and protect others by:

• Staying home unless you need to visit the hospital.
• Not visiting public places; stay home unless you need medical care.
• Staying hydrated and getting rest.
• Separating yourself from others and wearing a mask whenever you are in public.
• Talking to your close contacts about the possibility of them being exposed to the virus.

COVID-19 and Stroke: What is the Connection?

Although COVID-19 is considered a lung infection, there is evidence that it causes blood clots that can cause a severe stroke. According to experts, this can happen to anyone regardless of age, even if you have few or no symptoms. But what is the connection between the Coronavirus and stroke?

Coronavirus Causes Small Clots

• COVID-19 has been shown to cause microthrombi or small clots that travel to your lungs, therefore cutting off the blood supply (pulmonary embolism); they can also travel to the brain and cause an ischemic stroke.
• Brain ischemia/Ischemic stroke is caused by an obstruction of oxygen and blood flow to the brain, which causes death or damage to your brain cells.
• Keeping in touch with the best general practitioners Dubai offices is necessary, especially if you experience the following stroke symptoms:
  • Vision problems like double vision or blindness in one eye
  • Confusion
  • Vertigo or dizziness
  • Paralysis or weakness in your limbs on one or both sides
  • Drooping of one side of your face
  • Loss of coordination
  • Speech impairment.
• It is important to seek treatment as soon as symptoms start to prevent permanent damage.

Coronavirus has been Associated with Hypercoagulability

• Coronavirus can cause hypercoagulability or thick blood, which occurs when there is an imbalance in the cells and proteins responsible for blood and blood clotting. It causes your blood to become too thick.
• Some patients with the Coronavirus have signs of clotting and blood thickening. Doctors noticed that patients’ lungs were bloodless.
• Thick blood coagulates and forms clots that block blood flow to the brain or heart and cause strokes or heart attacks.

Coronavirus and Neurological Conditions

• Patients with COVID-19 are experiencing various neurological symptoms like loss of smell and taste, confusion, and severe strokes.
• Some also experience peripheral nerve issues that can lead to respiratory failure and paralysis.
• The Coronavirus can enter the brain and cause encephalitis.
• Encephalitis is the inflammation of the brain; there are various causes, but the most common is viral infections.
• Patients with this condition often have fever, headache, fatigue, and muscle or joint aches.
• Severe symptoms include seizures, confusion, paralysis in various body parts or face, loss of consciousness including a coma, problems with speech, etc.
• It is important to seek immediate medical care as soon as you notice these or other severe symptoms.

COVID-19 and Inflammatory Response

• Another way that stroke might be linked to the Coronavirus is that your immune system goes into overdrive trying to fight COVID-19.
• This produces a maladaptive inflammatory response that wreaks more havoc in your body than the virus.
• The doctors are learning more about the cytokine storm.
• Various infections like the Coronavirus can trigger cytokine storms, but it does not happen in all patients.
• The increased levels of cytokines affect patients’ kidneys, heart, and lungs.

Physiological Changes Caused by COVID-19

• Physiological changes caused by the Coronavirus, like multiorgan failure, hypoxemia, fever, etc., can cause brain dysfunction that can lead to neurological syndromes.
• Neurological syndromes occur in or are caused by the nervous system.
• When the connections between the central and the peripheral nervous system are altered, neurological symptoms develop.
• These symptoms can interrupt involuntary actions like swallowing, perspiration, breathing, etc.
• They may be characterized by symptoms of low blood pressure like loss of consciousness.
• It is crucial to seek immediate medical attention if you or your loved ones experience these life-threatening symptoms.

Treatment

Stroke is treated the same regardless of the cause. Doctors treat ischemic stroke to restore blood flow to your brain swiftly. Treatment might include an emergency IV medication or emergency endovascular procedures.

Patients with the Coronavirus might experience various effects on their brains like strokes or confusion. This is why it’s crucial to contact your doctor or the nearest healthcare institution if you think you have COVID-19. Fortunately, you don’t have to panic because the Coronavirus and stroke are treatable.