Knowridge Science Report – In a new study from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, researchers found a definite increase in stroke incidence among younger adults as compared to a similar age group prior to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

The study analyzed data from patients who tested positive for the coronavirus after they had been hospitalized for a stroke and other serious brain events.

The researchers analyzed whether there were differences in the MRIs of patients after contracting COVID-19 and after the onset of their stroke.

Of the 136 different medical centers in 32 countries, at least 71 reported a patient who had a stroke during their hospitalization for coronavirus or shortly thereafter.

Of the 432 patients, 323 (75%) had an acute ischemic stroke, 91 (21%) intracranial hemorrhage, and 18 (4%) cerebral venous or sinus thrombosis.

Most troubling was the high occurrence of ischemic strokes in younger patients with no known existence of the types of ‘classical’ risk factors that contribute to the onset of stroke … Click here to read more. 

Organ damage caused by COVID-19

MAYO CLINIC – Although COVID-19 is seen as a disease that primarily affects the lungs, it can damage many other organs as well. This organ damage may increase the risk of long-term health problems. Organs that may be affected by COVID-19 include:

• Heart. Imaging tests taken months after recovery from COVID-19 have shown lasting damage to the heart muscle, even in people who experienced only mild COVID-19 symptoms. This may increase the risk of heart failure or other heart complications in the future.
• Lungs. The type of pneumonia often associated with COVID-19 can cause long-standing damage to the tiny air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs. The resulting scar tissue can lead to long-term breathing problems.
• Brain. Even in young people, COVID-19 can cause strokes, seizures and Guillain-Barre syndrome — a condition that causes temporary paralysis. COVID-19 may also increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.

Some adults and children experience multisystem inflammatory syndrome after they have had COVID-19. In this condition, some organs and tissues become severely inflamed.

Blood clots and blood vessel problems

COVID-19 can make blood cells more likely to clump up and form clots. While large clots can cause heart attacks and strokes, much of the heart damage caused by COVID-19 is believed to stem from very small clots that block tiny blood vessels (capillaries) in the heart muscle.

Other parts of the body affected by blood clots include the lungs, legs, liver and kidneys. COVID-19 can also weaken blood vessels and cause them to leak, which contributes to potentially long-lasting problems with the liver and kidneys.

Problems with mood and fatigue

People who have severe symptoms of COVID-19 often have to be treated in a hospital’s intensive care unit, with mechanical assistance such as ventilators to breathe.

Simply surviving this experience can make a person more likely to later develop post-traumatic stress syndrome, depression and anxiety … Click here to read more.