The Stroke Association is funding the world’s first study to determine the long-term impact of COVID-19 on stroke survivors.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic there have been widespread reports of adults with the virus also having strokes. The charity announces this new study amid concerns that the virus may be causing more severe strokes in patients that doctors are struggling to treat.
It is thought that the virus could be increasing the chance of blood clots forming in the brain and blocking blood flow. The Stroke Association is funding this vital research to investigate the difference the virus could make to stroke recoveries, which are already at risk due to disruption to stroke services caused by the pandemic. The study will establish how differences in patients with and without the virus may influence their needs for treatment and care, including how to avoid the risk of having further strokes.
Researchers at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) will follow up to 4,000 stroke survivors, with and without COVID-19 from across 13 emergency stroke units. Stroke recovery, rehabilitation and health will be tracked for up to 18 months after their stroke. Researchers will collect and assess comprehensive, specialist medical information from stroke patients, including brain scans, blood samples and measures of disability. The findings will help to understand how COVID-19 impacts stroke recovery and which treatments might best support survivors’ recoveries.
Dr Richard Perry, lead researcher at UCLH, said: “Research that compares stroke in patients with and without COVID-19 is essential to understand if COVID-19 results in more severe strokes, where survivors will need more support to recover from its devastating effects. While redeployed to stroke wards at the start of the pandemic, I would see patients admitted with unusual strokes, who would then go on to have a positive COVID-19 test.
“The findings from this study will inform decisions about the most effective treatment and the rehabilitation needs of this group of patients, including prevention of recurrent stroke. We already know that from the moment a person has a stroke or mini-stroke they are at substantial increased risk of further strokes.
“We’ve come a long way since the start of the pandemic. I’m incredibly proud of stroke doctors and researchers throughout the UK who generously gave their time to contribute to the early stages of our study on the impact of COVID-19 on stroke, when we had no resources and were entirely dependent on their goodwill. This much-needed funding means we can continue the urgent work.”
Stroke is a sudden brain attack, stroke strikes every five minutes, and there are more than 1.2 million stroke survivors living in the UK. However, this is set to rise; it is predicted that the number of stroke survivors aged 45 and over could rise to 1.4 million in 2025, and 2.1 million in 2035.
Dr. Rubina Ahmed, Research Director at the Stroke Association, said: “Stroke is a leading cause of adult disability in the UK and the second biggest killer in the world. It’s extremely concerning that we’re seeing strokes happening in ways we have not seen before. This research is absolutely critical in understanding and treating stroke after COVID-19, to help reduce the devastating effects and ultimately improve lives."
