COVID-19 and stroke: Experience in a Ghanaian healthcare system
- PMID: 32702560
- PMCID: PMC7363605
- DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2020.117044
COVID-19 and stroke: Experience in a Ghanaian healthcare system
Abstract
Background: The novel coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) causes multi-system disease including possibly heightened stroke risk. Data from high-income countries (HIC) suggest disruptions to care delivery with reduced stroke admissions and administration of acute stroke reperfusion therapies. We are unaware of any published data on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on stroke admissions and outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa.
Purpose: To compare rates of stroke admissions and case fatality between corresponding periods in 2020 and 2019, within a hospital system in Ghana, to assess the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: We compared monthly stroke admissions and mortality rates between January to June 2020 vs. January to June 2019 at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, a tertiary medical center in Ghana. Predictors of in-patient mortality were assessed using a multivariate logistic regression model.
Results: Stroke admissions were higher in January to June 2020 vs. January to June 2019 (431 vs. 401), an increase of +7.5% (95% CI: 5.1-10.5%). There was also a rise in recurrent stroke admissions in 2020 vs. 2019 (19.0% vs. 10.9%, p = .0026). Stroke case fatality trended higher in 2020 vs. 2019 (29.3% vs. 24.2%, p = .095) with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.22 (95% CI: 0.89-1.68).
Conclusion: While an influence of secular trends cannot be excluded, the COVID-19 outbreak coincided with a comparatively significant rise in initial and recurrent stroke admissions at this Ghanaian tertiary hospital. Continued surveillance at this hospital, as well as assessment of this issue at other sites in Africa is warranted.
Keywords: Africa; COVID-19; Mortality; Recurrence; Stroke admissions.
Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Conflict of interest statement
None to declare by all authors.
Figures
Similar articles
-
Difference in mortality among individuals admitted to hospital with COVID-19 during the first and second waves in South Africa: a cohort study.Lancet Glob Health. 2021 Sep;9(9):e1216-e1225. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(21)00289-8. Epub 2021 Jul 9. Lancet Glob Health. 2021. PMID: 34252381 Free PMC article.
-
Stroke epidemiology and COVID-19 pandemic.Curr Opin Neurol. 2021 Feb 1;34(1):3-10. doi: 10.1097/WCO.0000000000000879. Curr Opin Neurol. 2021. PMID: 33278139 Review.
-
Hospital admission rates, length of stay, and in-hospital mortality for common acute care conditions in COVID-19 vs. pre-COVID-19 era.Public Health. 2020 Dec;189:6-11. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2020.09.010. Epub 2020 Sep 21. Public Health. 2020. PMID: 33126120 Free PMC article.
-
Recent patterns and predictors of neurological mortality among hospitalized patients in Central Ghana.J Neurol Sci. 2016 Apr 15;363:217-24. doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2016.02.041. Epub 2016 Feb 17. J Neurol Sci. 2016. PMID: 27000253
-
Trends in stroke admission and mortality rates from 1983 to 2013 in central Ghana.J Neurol Sci. 2015 Oct 15;357(1-2):240-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2015.07.043. Epub 2015 Aug 4. J Neurol Sci. 2015. PMID: 26293417
Cited by
-
Trends in the Incidence of Cardiovascular Diagnoses and Procedures over the Years 2012-2021 in Israel: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic.J Clin Med. 2024 Jan 15;13(2):476. doi: 10.3390/jcm13020476. J Clin Med. 2024. PMID: 38256610 Free PMC article.
-
Impact of COVID-19 on health service utilisation in sub-Saharan Africa: protocol for a scoping review.BMJ Open. 2023 Sep 26;13(9):e074769. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-074769. BMJ Open. 2023. PMID: 37751950 Free PMC article.
-
Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on acute stroke admissions and case-fatality rate in lower-income and middle-income countries: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ Open. 2022 Apr 25;12(4):e057893. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-057893. BMJ Open. 2022. PMID: 35470196 Free PMC article.
-
Emerging Viral Infections, Hypertension, and Cardiovascular Disease in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Narrative Review.Hypertension. 2022 May;79(5):898-905. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.121.17949. Epub 2022 Mar 11. Hypertension. 2022. PMID: 35272495 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Pathomechanisms and Treatment Implications for Stroke in COVID-19: A Review of the Literature.Life (Basel). 2022 Jan 29;12(2):207. doi: 10.3390/life12020207. Life (Basel). 2022. PMID: 35207494 Free PMC article. Review.
References
-
- World Health Organization Coronavirus (COVID-2019) situation reports. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situatio... Accessed July 8, 2020.
-
- Helms J., Tacquard C., Severac F. Clinical Research in Intensive Care and Sepsis Trial Group for Global Evaluation and Research in Sepsis. High risk of thrombosis in patients with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection: a multicenter prospective cohort study. Intensive Care Med. 2020;46(6):1089–1098. - PMC - PubMed
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical