Asociación entre SARS-COV-2 e infarto cerebral isquémico en pacientes menores de 65 años de IESS Ceibos, período 2020-2023

Abstract

This study researches the relationship between COVID-19 and ischemic stroke in patients under 65 years old. It is an observational, cross-sectional, and analytical study that assessed the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and the incidence and severity of ischemic stroke in patients under 65, treated at the IESS Ceibos Hospital from 2020 to 2023. The methodology included the analysis of 115 medical records of patients with ischemic stroke confirmed by tomography, excluding those with coagulopathies and pre-existing heart disease. The NIHSS scale was used to measure stroke severity, and regression models were applied to identify predictors of severity, mortality, and ICU admission need. The results showed an average age of 54.62 years and that COVID-19 infection (p-value: 0.002) and dyslipidemia (p-value: 0.042) were significantly associated with an increase in ischemic stroke severity measured by the NIHSS scale. Regarding mortality, dyslipidemia OR: 4.163 (CI: 1.39-12.42) and COVID-19 infection OR: 4.349 (CI: 1.27-14.89) were identified as significant predictors, while for ICU admission need, COVID-19 infection was not significant, unlike hypertension OR: 3.73 (CI: 1.35-10.33) and dyslipidemia OR: 10.70 (CI: 3.03-37.79), which were. It is concluded that SARS-CoV-2 infection constitutes a significant risk factor for ischemic stroke in adults under 65 years of age, and the need for early prevention and management strategies to mitigate the risk of serious complications in this population is emphasized.