Impact of COVID-19 on the Volume of Acute Stroke Admissions: A Nationwide Survey in Japan.

This study aimed to measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the volumes of annual stroke admissions compared with those before the pandemic in Japan. We conducted an observational, retrospective nationwide survey across 542 primary stroke centers in Japan. The annual admission volumes for acute stroke within 7 days from onset between 2019 as the pre-pandemic period and 2020 as the pandemic period were compared as a whole and separately by months during which the epidemic was serious and prefectures of high numbers of infected persons. The number of stroke patients declined from 182,660 in 2019 to 178,083 in 2020, with a reduction rate of 2.51% (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.58%-2.44%). The reduction rates were 1.92% (95% CI, 1.85%-2.00%; 127,979-125,522) for ischemic stroke, 3.88% (95% CI, 3.70%-4.07%, 41,906-40,278) for intracerebral hemorrhage, and 4.58% (95% CI, 4.23%-4.95%; 13,020-12,424) for subarachnoid hemorrhage. The admission volume declined by 5.60% (95% CI, 5.46%-5.74%) during the 7 months of 2020 when the epidemic was serious, whereas it increased in the remaining 5 months (2.01%; 95% CI, 1.91%-2.11%). The annual decline in the admission volume was predominant in the five prefectures with the largest numbers of infected people per million population (4.72%; 95% CI, 4.53%-4.92%). In conclusion, the acute stroke admission volume declined by 2.51% in 2020 relative to 2019 in Japan, especially during the months of high infection, and in highly infected prefectures. Overwhelmed healthcare systems and infection control practices may have been associated with the decline in the stroke admission volume during the COVID-19 pandemic.

[Cerebral vein/venous sinus thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome after COVID-19 vaccination].

Vaccines are important in managing the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2. Despite the very low incidence, severe cases of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia after COVID-19 vaccination termed as Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) have been reported. TTS clinically resembles autoimmune heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. TTS can cause disability and even death. It usually presents 4-28 days after vaccination characterized by thrombocytopenia and progressive thrombosis, often causing cerebral vein/venous thrombosis (CVT) and splanchnic venous thrombosis. We should avoid all forms of heparin and platelet transfusion. While awaiting further information on the pathophysiological mechanism and treatment of TTS, clinicians should be aware of TTS with CVT in patients receiving COVID-19 vaccinations. This new syndrome of TTS is an active area of investigation globally. Here, we review the available literature.

[COVID-19 and stroke].

Due to the pandemic of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the stroke medical care system is unavoidably undergoing major changes such as a decrease in the number of stroke patients receiving consultation, delay in consultation, and a decrease in the number of intravenous thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy procedures. Stroke incidence in COVID-19 patients is approximately 1.1%. The features of stroke with COVID-19 have been elucidated: higher incidence in ischemic stroke than hemorrhagic stroke, increasing number of young patients, high D-dimer levels, and higher risk in elderly patients with cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension and diabetes. In patients with COVID-19, venous thromboembolism is more common than arterial thromboembolism, and stroke is more common than acute coronary syndrome. Protected code stroke (PCS) has been proposed which provides safe, effective and prompt treatment under complete infection control.