American and French neurologists suggest a possible correlation between a Covid-19 infection and the occurrence of a stroke. Are these isolated cases or not? Why are young adults affected? How do patient associations react?
The lungs, the heart and now the brain. Covid-19 can also infect the brain, according to recent observations on the coronavirus worldwide. Among these neurological damage is the risk of stroke, especially in patients under the age of 50. Explanations.
How can coronavirus affect the brain?
Patients affected by Covid-19 have reported loss of taste or smell. Anosmia (loss of smell) and ageusia (loss of taste) are neurological disorders. The Director General of Health, Professor Jérôme Salomon, lingered there on April 20: “These are nerves that determine taste and smell. This is explained by the attack of the virus on the nasal cavities and therefore we have this explanation, which is that, when the virus is present in the ENT sphere, it can attack its nerves and give these symptoms ”. Covid-19 would thus appear to damage the areas of the brain that process olfactory information. A study published on April 10 in China, and conducted on 214 patients affected by a severe form of coronavirus in Wuhan, says that the brain would be affected in 36% of cases. Chinese researchers have reported “at least six cases of stroke or brain hemorrhage” among the patients studied.
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Does Covid-19 cause neurological complications? The Toulouse University Hospital is investigating
How would the coronavirus cause a stroke?
The coronavirus may have a consequence on blood clots that clog the arteries and thus cause thrombosis. François Chollet, the head of the neurosciences pole of the Toulouse University Hospital, explains that “the link between coronavirus and stroke is still difficult to make with precision”. Dr. Benoît Guillon, neurologist in charge of the neurovascular unit at the Nantes University Hospital, tries an explanation: “Either asymptomatic patients declare this stroke while the Covid-19 has already evolved. Either this serious neurological complication constitutes a gateway to the disease ”.
How many suspicious cases are there?
The number of cases in France is unknown. No patient is hospitalized at the Toulouse University Hospital even if “patients admitted for a stroke were then tested positive for the coronavirus”, explains François Chollet. A case study published in the New England journal of medicine, this Tuesday, April 28, describes five cases of stroke occurred in patients 33, 37, 39, 44 and 49 years old between March 23 and April 7. All were positive for Covid-19. Out of these five cases, one patient died, one is in rehabilitation, two are still hospitalized and only the 33-year-old patient can speak today.
Why are younger patients experiencing stroke?
The medical teams still have very little perspective to advance explanations. Four weeks ago, the link between coronavirus and neurological symptoms was not yet known. The cases reported by Dr Guillon de Nantes are “young patients with no risk factor. They seem to present atypical pictures with thromboses, relatively diffuse, rather unusual arterial occlusions ”. Worryingly, these patients in some cases had little or no symptoms of Covid-19. The 33-year-old woman hospitalized in New York City reported experiencing coughs, headaches and chills the week before her stroke.
Stroke victims, call 15 quickly
Since confinement, the Toulouse CHU has observed a drop in activity in the area of stroke. Serious cases are naturally immediately hospitalized. However, patients may have hesitated to come for fear of the Covid-19, reports François Chollet. “A hand that works less well, a mouth that twists and comes back in place are signs that should alert. You must come and consult and do not hesitate to call 15 in the event of an emergency. The treatment is secure ”.
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Are neurologists really worried?
François Chollet, the head of the neurosciences center of the Toulouse University Hospital, says he is not worried and recalls that “many viral diseases give clots in the vessels and inflammation of the arteries”.
Are patient associations worried?
The possible correlation between coronavirus and stroke is closely followed by patient associations since we know that the brain can be affected. “We are concerned about the situation of people who have already had a stroke,” says Marie-France Planquel, vice-president of France AVC Pyrénées-Orientales / Aude. We ask our members not to go out, not to take risks, to stay at home. At the same time, they must go to their general practitioner to renew their treatments every three months. Treatment after a stroke is until the end of life. ”
What are the signs of a stroke?
Muscle weakness or paralysis of the face or part of the body; tingling and numbness of a part of the body; difficulty speaking; partial or total loss of vision; brutal or unusual headache or loss of balance are warning signs.
If you are in doubt about a possible stroke, ask the person to
- smile to see if she has a deformed mouth
- raise both arms
- utter a very simple sentence
Contact immediately on the 15th. Treatments should be administered within two to three hours after a stroke. Every minute counts. 150,000 brain attacks take place every year in France.
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