Greater decline of acute stroke admissions compared with acute coronary syndromes during COVID-19 outbreak in Greece: Cerebro/cardiovascular implications amidst a second wave surge.
Eur J Neurol
; 28(10): 3452-3455, 2021 Oct.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-963045
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:
A remarkable decline in admissions for acute stroke and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has been reported in countries severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, limited data are available from countries with less COVID-19 burden focusing on concurrent stroke and ACS hospitalisation rates from the same population.METHODS:
The study was conducted in three geographically and demographically representative COVID-19 referral university hospitals in Greece. We recorded the rate of stroke and ACS hospital admissions during a 6-week period of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 and compared them with the rates of the corresponding period in 2019.RESULTS:
We found a greater relative reduction of stroke admissions (51% [35 vs. 71]; incidence rate ratio [IRR] 0.49, p = 0.001) compared with ACS admissions (27% [123 vs. 168]; IRR 0.73, p = 0.009) during the COVID-19 outbreak (p = 0.097). Fewer older (>65 years) patients (stroke 34.3% vs. 45.1%, odds ratio [OR] 0.64, p = 0.291; ACS 39.8% vs. 54.2%, OR 0.56, p = 0.016) were admitted during the COVID-19 compared with the control period.CONCLUSIONS:
Hospitalisation rates both for stroke and ACS were reduced during the COVID-19 outbreak in a country with strict social distancing measures, low COVID-19 incidence and low population mortality. Lack of triggers for stroke and ACS during social distancing/quarantining may explain these observations. However, medical care avoidance attitudes among cerebro/cardiovascular patients should be dissipated amidst the rising second COVID-19 wave.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Stroke
/
Acute Coronary Syndrome
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
English
Journal:
Eur J Neurol
Journal subject:
Neurology
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Ene.14666
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