Risultati per: Come COVID-19 influenzerà la nostra prossima generazione?

Comunicato del 17/02/2022 n°7

Comunicato del 09/02/2022 n°5

Stroke, Ahead of Print. Despite evidence-based guidelines,1stroke rehabilitation remains underutilized, particularly among women and minorities.2Telerehabilitation is a promising alternative to traditional in-person rehabilitation and offers a novel strategy to overcome access barriers,3which intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic.4A broadband connection is a prerequisite for its wide adoption but its availability varies across the United States (https://broadbandnow.com/national-broadband-map). Little is known about demographic and geographic variation in internet use among stroke survivors. In this study, we sought to compare internet use in a nationally representative sample of individuals with and without stroke.

Stroke, Volume 53, Issue Suppl_1, Page AWP26-AWP26, February 1, 2022. Background:The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected all aspects of stroke care delivery and resource allocation. We sought to study this effect utilizing the Florida Stroke Registry (FSR), which collects data from hospitals in large metropolitan cities and small communities, each facing pandemic peaks at different timepoints and within various healthcare system organizations.Methods:From March 2019 to March 2021, the FSR identified 82,899 patients with the final diagnosis of ischemic stroke and TIA. Stroke care metrics were compared in patients enrolled during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020 to February 2021) to those enrolled in the immediate pre-pandemic year. These metrics included utilization of intravenous thrombolytic (IVT), Endovascular therapy (EVT), Door-To-Needle time (DTN), Door-To-Puncture time (DTP), Door-To-Computed Tomography time (DTCT) and overall Defect-Free Care (DFC).Results:Pre-pandemic patients (n= 41,929, 49.0% female, mean age 70.1 ± 14.6 years, 64.3% white, 20.4% black, 15.3% Hispanic) had similar demographics to pandemic patients (48.8% female, mean age 69.9 ± 14.4 years, 65.4% white, 19.9% black, 14.7% Hispanic). Pandemic stroke patients had more severe presentations (median NIHSS 3 [IQR 8] vs 3 [7], p < .0001), longer onset-to-arrival time (242 [677] vs 229 [654] minutes, p = 0.002), and were more likely to arrive via emergency medical services (62.3% vs. 60.8%, p < .0001) than pre-pandemic stroke patients. Although both groups received IVT equally (13.4% vs. 13.5%, p = 0.67), pandemic stroke patients were more likely to receive EVT (7.0% vs. 6.5%, p = 0.005) and had longer DTP (84 [60] vs. 81 [64] minutes, p = 0.01), shorter DTCT (22 [52] vs 23 [56] minutes, p = 0.01) and similar DTN (36 [22] vs. 37 [22] minutes, p = 0.05) times, with an increased DFC rate of 2.2% (86.6% vs. 84.4%, p < .0001).Conclusions:In this large registry based study, we found that compared to pre-pandemic care, ischemic stroke patients treated during the COVID19 pandemic presented sicker and later to the hospital and were more likely to receive EVT, but had longer door-to-puncture times. Despite many healthcare delivery challenges imposed by COVID19, Florida hospitals within the FSR maintained high quality of stroke care overall.

Stroke, Volume 53, Issue Suppl_1, Page A19-A19, February 1, 2022. Background and Purpose:Stroke can cause memory dysfunction. Long-term memory dysfunction of mice with tibia fracture (BF)+stroke is associated with accumulation of CD68+cells in the hippocampus, which can be alleviated by activation of alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α-7 nAchR). Microglia maintain normal memory via removing excessive synapses. We hypothesize that aged mice would develop long-lasting memory dysfunction after stroke, which is associated with increased CD68+cells and synapses removing in the hippocampi.Methods:Permanent distal middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO) was performed in young (2-month-old) and aging (15-18-month-old) mice, or 6 hours before pMCAO in young mice. The memory functions were analyzed weekly for 8 weeks by Y-maze and at 8 weeks post pMCAO by NOR tests. Atrophic volumes, CD68+cells and microglial phagocytosis of synapses were quantified at 8 weeks after pMCAO.Results:Aged mice had larger atrophic volumes, more CD68+cells in the hippocampi ipsilateral to stroke side than young mice, and also had more CD68+cells in the ipsilateral hippocampus than the contralateral. In Y-maze test, the aged stroke mice made fewer spontaneous alternations from 3 to 8 weeks after pMCAO than the young stroke mice and sham aged mice. In NOR test, aged stroke mice spent less time on the novel object than young stroke mice and sham aged mice. α-7 nAchR agonist treatment reduced the number of CD68+cells in the hippocampi in the BF+stroke mice. Almost all CD68+cells were synaptophysin positive. Therefore, increased CD68+cells in the ipsilateral hippocampus will increase synaptic removal. Reduction of neuroinflammation could reduce synaptic loss and improve post-stroke memory function.Conclusions:Increased CD68+cells in the hippocampus is associated with long-lasting post-stroke memory dysfunction in aged mice, and reduced neuroinflammation could improve post-stroke memory function.

Stroke, Volume 53, Issue Suppl_1, Page ATMP22-ATMP22, February 1, 2022. Background and Purpose:Stroke is a serious complication of COVID-19. However, the risk factors for this complication are poorly understood. We hypothesize that genetic predisposition to cardio- and cerebrovascular disease (CVD) leads to an increased risk of stroke in patients with COVID-19 infection.Methods:We evaluated data from a nested cohort study conducted within the UK Biobank focused on persons with documented COVID-19. Incident strokes (ischemic and hemorrhagic) were identified by combining inpatient data (including critical care and discharge diagnostic codes) and primary care data, the latter entered by providers within 30 days of a positive COVID-19 test. Genetic predisposition to CVD was evaluated through a polygenic risk score that integrated genomic information on 2,176 independent genetic risk variants for stroke, coronary artery disease and cardiometabolic risk factors. This score was divided into low (0-20thpercentile), intermediate (20th-80thpercentile), and high (80th-100thpercentile) genetic risk.Results:A total of 11,882 study participants (mean age 65.8, SD [8.6], female sex 6,306 [53.1%]) with documented COVID-19 infection were included in this study, including 99 (0.8%) persons that sustained a stroke during the infection. Compared to persons with low genetic predisposition to CVD, those with intermediate and high genetic risk had 35% (OR 1.35, 95%CI 1.14-1.55) and 2.4-fold (OR 2.38, 95% CI 1.71-3.05) higher risk of stroke (test for trend p=0.004). Sub-scoring analyses evaluating one polygenic risk score per CVD trait of interest indicated that genetic predisposition to hypertension (p=0.017) and smoking (p=0.03) were the most important genetic risk factors.Conclusions:Genetic predisposition to CVD is associated with a higher risk of stroke in persons with acute COVID-19 infection. Genetic risk factors for hypertension and smoking appear to mediate a significant portion of this association. Genetic information should be considered in the multiple ongoing efforts to create risk-stratification strategies to identify COVID-19 patients at high risk of stroke.

Stroke, Volume 53, Issue Suppl_1, Page ATMP16-ATMP16, February 1, 2022. Introduction:Findings of association between COVID-19 and stroke remain inconsistent, ranging from significant association, absence of association to less than expected ischemic stroke among hospitalized patients with COVID-19. The present study examined the association between COVID-19 and risk of acute ischemic stroke (AIS).Methods:We included 19,553 Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiaries aged ≥65 years diagnosed with COVID-19 between April 1 and November 30, 2020 and AIS hospitalization from January 1, 2019 through November 30, 2020. We used a self-controlled case series design to examine the association between COVID-19 and AIS and estimated the incident rate ratios (IRR) by comparing incidence of AIS in risk periods (0-3, 4-7, 8-14, 15-28 days after diagnosis of COVID-19) vs. control periods.Results:Among 19,553 Medicare FFS beneficiaries with COVID-19 and AIS, the median age at diagnosis of COVID-19 was 80.5 (interquartile range 73.6-87.3) years and 57.5% were women. IRRs at 0-3, 4-7, 8-14, and 15-28 days following COVID-19 diagnosis were 10.97 (95% confidence interval 10.30-11.68), 1.59 (1.35-1.87), 1.23 (1.07-1.41), and 1.06 (0.95-1.18), respectively. The association appeared to be stronger among younger beneficiaries and among beneficiaries without prior history of stroke but largely consistent across sex and race/ethnicities.Conclusions:Risk of AIS among Medicare FFS beneficiaries was ten times as high during the first 3 days after diagnosis of COVID-19 as during the control period and the risk associated with COVID-19 appeared to be stronger among those aged 65-74 years and those without prior history of stroke.

Stroke, Volume 53, Issue Suppl_1, Page A53-A53, February 1, 2022. COVID-19 pandemic has affected our health and economy. Clinical trials confirmed multiple neurological symptoms due to COVID-19, ranging from headaches, insomnia to stroke, and encephalopathy. More studies are required to unravel the cellular and molecular mechanisms to find a cure for these neurological symptoms. Here, we investigate the effect of COVID-19 spike protein (S-protein) on the cerebrovasculature and cognitive functions in two mouse models that express humanized ACE-2 (h ACE2), a receptor essential for cellular infection and COVID-19 internalization. We hypothesize that COVID-19 S-protein causes cognitive dysfunction via the deterioration of cerebrovascular functions.Methods:S-protein was either injected intravenously or directly into the hippocampus of K-18 (h ACE2 in epithelial cells) or global h-ACE2 knock-in (h ACE2 KI) mice or wild-type mice. Cognitive functions were assessed by Y-maze and Barnes maze. Cerebrovascular density was determined using confocal 3-D image reconstruction. Human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMVEC) were treated with S-protein and assessed for apoptosis and inflammatory markers using immunoblotting and RT-PCR. K-18 and h-ACE2 KI mice received intraocular injections of S-protein; retinas were evaluated for vascular cell death and inflammation.Results:S-protein injections caused significant deterioration in memory and learning function of K-18 and h-ACE2 KI mice but not in the wild-type mice (P

Stroke, Volume 53, Issue Suppl_1, Page AWP46-AWP46, February 1, 2022. Introduction:During the initial peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, many centers globally reported a significant decrease in volumes of emergencies including acute stroke (AS) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI). While the reason for this remains unknown, pandemic-driven anxiety among patients may have resulted in unwarranted refusals to transport when deemed necessary by EMS (Emergency Medical Services) providers. We sought to study the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the patterns of Emergency Medical transport (EMTr) and patient refusals to transport when serious medical conditions were suspected by EMS personnel.Methods:In this retrospective, observational study of Grady Health System’s EMS, we compared the rates of EMTr and refusals for adult patients with suspected diagnoses of AS, AMI, and other medical conditions in the first year of the pandemic (Y1, Mar 2020-Feb 2021) with the corresponding period in the year prior (Y0). We also compared the temporal trends for these variables across the different pandemic waves (1st, Mar-May 2020; 2nd, Jun-Aug 2020; 3rd, Sep 2020-Feb 2021) with the corresponding periods in the year before.Results:Grady EMS responded to 207,888 calls in Y1 compared to 201,968 in Y0. The overall rate of refusals for all diagnoses was 15.5% in Y1 vs 14.1% in Y0, that for AS was 2.25% in Y1 vs 1.77% in Y0 and 7.5% in Y1 vs 5.67% in Y0 for AMI (Figure).Conclusion:There were more refusals in the first two waves of the pandemic. While refusals were higher for AS and AMI, this was not statistically significant. Our study provides valuable insight into the behavioral patterns of patients seeking emergency care during the pandemic and emphasizes a need for public education and more research.

Stroke, Volume 53, Issue Suppl_1, Page ATMP56-ATMP56, February 1, 2022. Objective:To compare metrics of acute care for ischemic stroke (IS) before and after the first cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed and major changes were made to the workflow.Methods:Data were prospectively collected as part of the institutional Stroke Database project. Patients with IS > 18 years admitted from January 2019 until March 2020 were considered to be part of the group treated in the “pre-COVID” era and those admitted from April 2020 until December 2020, in the “post-COVID” era. The primary outcome was the door-to-needle time in subjects treated with intravenous thrombolysis. Secondary outcomes were: rate of thrombolysis, rates of complications (pneumonia, urinary tract infection, deep venous thrombosis or pressure injury) and death during hospital admission. Patients’ characteristics, primary and secondary outcomes were compared with unpaired t-tests, Mann-Whitney or chi-square tests, according to the nature and distribution of the data.Results:Data from 932 patients with IS in the pre-COVID and 520, in the post-COVID group were prospectively collected. There were no significant differences in age (pre-COVID, 64.2±14.7 years; post-COVID, 63.3±15 years; p=0.296), gender (pre-COVID, 55.5% male; post-COVID, 55% male; p=0.862) or NIHSS scores (pre-COVID, median 5, range 0-38; post-COVID, median 6, range 0-36; p=0.346). Thrombolysis rates were 19.6% pre-COVID and15.7% post-COVID. All eligible subjects received thrombolysis. The increase in door-to-needle time in subjects treated with thrombolysis (pre-COVID, median 36 minutes; post-COVID, median 39 minutes) was statistically significant (p=0.048). Rates of complications in all ISs during admission increased significantly from 8.3% (pre-COVID) to 20.2% (post-COVID) (p

Stroke, Volume 53, Issue Suppl_1, Page AWP28-AWP28, February 1, 2022. Background:Large vessel occlusion (LVO) is the most common stroke subtype for those patient’s presenting with COVID-19. Clot perviousness, or a clot’s permeability to iodinated contrast, provides insight to an individual’s responsiveness of hyperacute revascularization, clot origin and functional post-stroke outcomes. We aimed to calculate LVO perviousness for those with and without COVID-19 and its association with revascularization and outcomes.Methods:This is a retrospective case-control study for individuals presenting with middle cerebral artery (MCA) LVO with and without COVID-19 positivity. Clot perviousness was calculated by a blinded experienced neuroradiologist. Perviousness scores were compared with demographic and comorbidity information as well as revascularization and functional outcomes.Results:18 individuals with a MCA LVO (9 COVID-19 infected) were included. Those with COVID-19 were significantly more likely to have diabetes mellitus [67% (6/9) versus 11% (1/9),p= 0.05] and hypertension [89% (8/9) versus 22% (2/9),p= 0.02]. Clot perviousness trended lower in the COVID-19 group [11.0 (8.2 – 26.4) versus 31.7 (30.4 – 39.2), p = 0.10]. Those with COVID-19 infection tended to have a lower clot pervious score, [22% (2/9) versus 78% (7/9), p =0.057]. The majority of those presenting with COVID-19 died during the hospitalization.Conclusions:Our data suggests for those with COVID-19 and MCA LVO, clots tended to be more impermeable to iodinated contrast. This finding may be due to the underlying coagulopathy of COVID-19, namely alternations in fibrin homeostasis.

Stroke, Volume 53, Issue Suppl_1, Page A54-A54, February 1, 2022. Background:COVID-19, being a prothrombotic state, has been linked to ischemic infarcts. Pooled data on impact of COVID-related stroke on mortality are sparse. We conducted a meta-analysis to assess the risk of stroke-related inpatient mortality (SRIM) during the COVID pandemic vs. pre-pandemic.Methods:Pubmed/Medline, SCOPUS & EMBASE were searched for articles till August 2021 reporting stroke and SRIM during COVID-19 pandemic vs. pre-pandemic. Random-effects model for odds ratio (OR), I2statistics for heterogeneity assessment and leave-one-out method for sensitivity analysis were employed.Results:A total of 31 studies with 455,073 stroke hospitalizations; 365253 pre-pandemic and 89820 pandemics (mean age 72 vs 70 yrs) were analyzed. With a comparable distribution of males, AF, and thrombolysis, the meta-analysis showed a nearly 40% higher risk of mortality during pandemic vs. pre-pandemic admissions (OR 1.42, 95%CI:1.06-1.92, p=0.018, I2=98.59). Further subgroup analysis showed a slightly higher risk of mortality in cohorts with mean age

Stroke, Volume 53, Issue Suppl_1, Page ATMP20-ATMP20, February 1, 2022. Background:Neurologic complications of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) may be associated with neurotropism of the virus or secondary brain injury from systemic inflammation. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is associated with cerebrovascular injury, including both ischemia and hemorrhage. We aimed to compare brain MRI findings of COVID-19 associated ARDS with non-COVID-19 ARDS.Methods:A registry of patients with COVID-19 from March 2020 through July 2021 from a hospital network was reviewed. Patients who met criteria for ARDS by Berlin definition and underwent MRI during their hospitalization were included. These patients were matched 1:1 by age and sex with patients who underwent MRI from another registry of patients of ARDS in the same hospital between 2010 and 2018. Cerebrovascular injury was classified as either acute cerebral ischemia (ischemic infarct or hypoxic ischemic brain injury) or intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) including intraparenchymal hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, subdural hematoma, and cerebral microbleeds (CMBs).Results:Of 13,319 patients with COVID-19 infection, 26 patients had ARDS and MRI. Sixty-six of 678 non-COVID-19 ARDS patients had an MRI and were matched 1:1 by age and sex resulting in 23 matched pairs. The median age was 66 and 59% of patients were male. Patients with COVID-19 ARDS were more likely to have hypertension and chronic kidney disease but otherwise baseline medical characteristics were similar. ARDS severity as determined by PaO2/FiO2 ratio at ICU admission was similar between both groups. No difference was seen in the prevalence of cerebrovascular injury (52% vs 61%, p=0.8), cerebral ischemia (35% vs 43%, p=0.8), ICH (43% vs 48%, p=1.0), or CMBs (43% vs 39% p=1.0) on MRI between the COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 cohorts. However, two unique patterns of injury were seen only among COVID-19 patients: hemorrhagic leukoencephalitis (3 patients, 12%) and bilateral cerebral peduncular ischemia with microhemorrhage (2 patients, 8%).Conclusion:Cerebrovascular injury was common in both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 ARDS without significant frequency difference. However, COVID-19 ARDS had unique neuroimaging patterns that may indicate distinct patterns of brain injury of COVID-19.

Stroke, Volume 53, Issue Suppl_1, Page ATMP13-ATMP13, February 1, 2022. Introduction:Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with an increased risk of stroke and worse stroke outcomes. A clinical score that can identify high-risk patients could enable closer monitoring and targeted preventative strategies.Methods:We used data from the AHA’s COVID-19 CVD Registry to create a clinical score to predict the risk of stroke among patients hospitalized with COVID-19. We included patients aged >18 years who were hospitalized with COVID-19 at 122 centers from March 2020-March 2021. To build our score, we used demographics, preexisting comorbidities, home medications, and vital sign and lab values at admission. The outcome was a cerebrovascular event, defined as any ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, TIA, or cerebral vein thrombosis. We used two separate analytical approaches to build the score. First, we used Cox regression with cross validation techniques to identify factors associated with the outcome in both univariable (p

Stroke, Volume 53, Issue Suppl_1, Page ATMP21-ATMP21, February 1, 2022. Background:Although hospital admissions for stroke declined in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, patients with comorbid COVID-19 and stroke had increased mortality. We explored stroke mortality in 2020 and its association with COVID-19 prevalence and state-level hospital capacities.Methods:We analyzed CDC National Vital Statistics System and COVID Data Tracker data from 2017-2020. The primary outcome was age-adjusted stroke (ischemic and hemorrhagic) mortality rate per 100,000. The secondary outcome was % change in state-level stroke mortality rates in 2020 (vs. 2017-19); we report its correlation with state-level 1) prevalence of confirmed COVID-19 infections by 12/31/2021, 2) total COVID mortality by 12/31/20, and the 2020 average state-level % of 3) hospital and 4) ICU beds occupied by COVID-19 patients.Results:Figure 1A shows the typical seasonal decline in stroke mortality in quarters 2/3 was attenuated in 2020. The % change in state-level stroke mortality in 2020 (Figure 1B) was not correlated with prevalence of COVID-19 infection (rho=0.05, p=0.74), mortality (rho=0.10, p=0.49), or the % of ICU beds occupied by COVID-19 patients (rho=0.24, p=0.09). There was a correlation with % of hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients (rho=0.35, p=0.01) (Figure 2).Conclusion:Overall stroke mortality increased in 2020, particularly in Q2/3, the early-to-mid phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the state level, the average % of all hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients in 2020 was the only COVID-19 metric associated with change in stroke mortality. Future work should determine if this association was due to decreased hospital capacity to deliver standard stroke care.