Often severe courses in stroke patients

According to current studies, the virus promotes strokes. In contrast, severe infections in stroke patients are twice as common as in people with healthy blood vessels, Innsbruck University of Medicine said. Coronavirus infection is known to cause neurological symptoms in addition to fever, cough, and breathing difficulties. “We now know that the new SARS virus has more potency to trigger strokes than the flu virus, even though the absolute numbers are low,” Kiechl said, referring to the current findings. Data from New York would show that 1.6% of all COVID-19 patients who have had to be hospitalized for more severe cycles suffer from a stroke. According to Kiechl, a study that has already been requested will examine in detail how the stroke situation has developed across the country in recent months.

There is no evidence in Austria that people with stroke symptoms have seen doctors less often since the outbreak of the pandemic. “Awareness of stroke symptoms is firmly anchored in Austrians,” Kiechl notes. Kiechl, who heads the Neurology Clinic at the University of Innsbruck, has only recently been able to demonstrate the importance of intensified follow-up stroke care for patient recovery.

About 25,000 Austrians suffer a stroke every year. According to the University of Medicine, the aging of society is accompanied by an increase in the frequency of strokes. However, thanks to good acute care and specialized facilities, fewer people would die of strokes.

Stroke expert Kiechl recommends that people with a proven risk profile continue to take their prescribed medications, get flu vaccinations, exercise and eat healthily, take precautionary measures, and call for help immediately in case of stroke symptoms. “Don’t be afraid to go to the doctor or go to the hospital – the risk of infection in hospitals has been found to be very low,” the doctor said.