The Influence of Seasonal Temperature on Cerebral Venous Thrombosis Before and After the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT

Objective: Assess the relationship of seasonal temperature and COVID-19 infection with the occurrence of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT). Background: Increased thrombogenicity is associated with COVID-19. Warm environments cause intravascular constriction, promoting CVT. After COVID-19 began, CVT increased during South Carolina's (SC) warmer months. However, the interaction of seasonal temperature and COVID-19 with CVT has not been elucidated. Design/Methods: The Vizient database provided frequency of non-pyogenic CVT, with and without infarction, between 10/2017 and 7/2021. SC's monthly temperatures were obtained from the National Weather Service, and SC DHEC provided COVID-19 cases. This study initially explored the relationship between COVID-19, CVT, and temperature and the effect of COVID-19 on the occurrence of CVT in Greenville, SC. It then expanded to include all SC and nationwide Vizient hospitals. Results: A Pearson correlation assessed the relationship between CVT, temperature, and COVID-19 in Greenville. A significant positive relationship between CVT and both average daily and maximum temperature (r(46) = 0.343, p<0.05;r(46) 0.339, p<0.05, respectively) was identified. There was not a significant relationship between COVID-19 and CVT, even when controlling for temperature. Greenville's independent t-test compared CVT incidence and showed an increase in CVT cases after the COVID-19 pandemic began (t(20)= 2.71, p<0.01). This significance was also demonstrated from the total data from SC and nationwide (t(36) = 2.538, p < .01, t(44) = 4.050, p <.001, respectively). Conclusions: Increased maximum and average daily temperature is significantly correlated to increased CVT hospitalizations. Although COVID-19 cases were insignificantly correlated with CVT, CVT hospitalizations significantly increased from an unknown variable after the COVID19 pandemic. When relating statistics to observed patterns, it is still possible that the conditions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic complete the increased risk of CVT hospitalizations during warmer months. Future study is needed to elucidate variables' effects and patterns on COVID-19, temperature, and CVT.