Changes in stroke and TIA admissions during the COVID-19 pandemic: A meta-analysisShow others and affiliations
2024 (English)In: European Stroke Journal, ISSN 2396-9873, E-ISSN 2396-9881, Vol. 9, no 1, p. 78-87Article, review/survey (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
PURPOSE: To perform a meta-analysis on how the admissions of stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) changed during the Corona Virus infection-19 (COVID-19) pandemic and evaluate if the effect was depending on stroke severity.
METHODS: Observational cohort studies comparing the number of stroke and/or TIA admissions during a period of the pandemic compared to a period before the pandemic were identified in PubMed and Embase. After excluding studies with overlapping populations and studies without satisfactory case ascertainment, data was extracted and meta-analyzed.
FINDINGS: A total of 59 studies were included. During the pandemic, there was a decrease in admissions of ischemic stroke (admission rate ratio (ARR) = 0.77, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.72, 0.82), intracerebral hemorrhage (ARR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.70, 0.90) and TIA (ARR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.58, 0.75). Albeit admission rates of both mild (ARR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.49, 0.77) and severe (ARR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.71, 0.95) strokes decreased, milder strokes decreased more (proportion ratio (PR) = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.65, 0.89).
DISCUSSION: Potential causes for the admission reduction could be strict prioritizations within the health care, patients' fear of acquiring COVID-19, or decreased access to health care due to lockdowns.
CONCLUSION: During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a reduction in admissions of stroke and TIA, possibly caused by reluctance to seek medical care.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Sage Publications, 2024. Vol. 9, no 1, p. 78-87
Keywords [en]
Acute ischemic stroke, Corona virus, NIHSS, SARS-CoV-2, TIA, cerebral infarction, intracerebral hemorrhage
National Category
Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology Neurology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-108656DOI: 10.1177/23969873231204127ISI: 001073208700001PubMedID: 37776062Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85173493290OAI: oai:DiVA.org:oru-108656DiVA, id: diva2:1801747
2023-10-022023-10-022024-03-22Bibliographically approved