Acute Ischemic Stroke Associated with COVID-19

Abstract

During the prevailing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the disease has started manifesting with some neurological symptoms. There have been reports on acute ischemic stroke, cerebral venous thrombosis, and intracerebral hemorrhage associated with COVID-19. The plausible mechanism that causes these ischemic processes is called "sepsis-induced coagulopathy." A 40-year male patient, who was hospitalised due to COVID-19 pneumonia, developed sudden-onset motor aphasia and right-sided hemiplegia. He was then placed in, with the diagnosis of acute ischemia, most probably associated with COVID-19, considering that the patient's medical history was not remarkable for a relevant etiology, and all tests for the etiology of ischemic stroke showed normal findings. The patient was placed on therapy with acetyl salicylic acid, 300 mg/day. It is presumed that ischemic events occur by an increase in coagulopathy secondary to inflammation. COVID-19 causes ischemic processes by inducing endothelial dysfunction and arterial or venous thrombosis.