Acute ischemic stroke and coronavirus disease 2019: An analysis of 27,676 patients

Objective: Acute ischemic stroke may occur in patients with Coronavirus disease 2019 but risk factors, in hospital events, and outcomes are not well studied in large cohorts. Background: We identified risk factors, co-morbidities, and outcomes in patients with Coronavirus disease 2019 with or without acute ischemic stroke and compared with patients without Coronavirus disease 2019 and acute ischemic stroke. Design/Methods: We analyzed the data from 54 healthcare facilities using the Cerner deidentified Coronavirus disease 2019 dataset. The dataset included patients with an emergency department or inpatient encounter with a discharge diagnoses codes that could be associated to suspicion of or exposure to Coronavirus disease 2019, or confirmed Coronavirus disease 2019. Results: A total of 103 (1.3%) patients developed acute ischemic stroke among 8,163 patients with Coronavirus disease 2019. Among all Coronavirus disease 2019 patients, the proportion of patients with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure was significantly higher among those with acute ischemic stroke. Acute ischemic stroke was associated with discharge to destination other than home or death (relative risk 2.1, 95% confidence interval 1.7-2.4, p<.0001) after adjusting for potential confounders. A total of 199 (1.0%) patients developed acute ischemic stroke among 19,513 patents without Coronavirus disease 2019. Among all ischemic stroke patients, Coronavirus disease 2019 was associated with discharge to destination other than home or death (relative risk 1.2, 95% confidence interval 1.0- 1.3, p=.03) after adjusting for potential confounders Conclusions: Acute ischemic stroke was infrequent in patients with Coronavirus disease 2019 and usually occurs in presence of other cardiovascular risk factors. The risk of discharge to destination other than home or death increased two folds with occurrence of acute ischemic stroke in patients with Coronavirus disease 2019.