The objective of this study was to investigate the association between previous stroke and the risk of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
We included 164 (61.8 ± 13.6 years) patients with COVID-19 in a retrospective study. We evaluated the unadjusted and adjusted associations between previous stroke and severe COVID-19, using a Cox regression model. We conducted an overall review of systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the relationship of previous stroke with the unfavorable COVID-19 outcomes.
The rate of severe COVID-19 in patients with previous stroke was 28.37 per 1,000 patient days (95% confidence interval [CI]: 10.65–75.59), compared to 3.94 per 1,000 patient days (95% CI: 2.66–5.82) in those without previous stroke (
Previous stroke seems to influence the course of COVID-19 infection; such patients are at high risk of severe COVID-19 and might benefit from early hospital treatment measures and preventive strategies.