The most common cause of death is stroke. People with diabetes and high blood pressure are particularly at risk. But Covid 19 disease could also increase the risk.
Berlin (dpa) - According to experts, an infection with the corona virus could also result in a stroke. This applies particularly to severe cases, the German Stroke Society (DSG) said on the day against the stroke (May 10) and referred to studies.
In general, however, the data on Covid-19 and the neurological consequences are "still very thin", further investigations are absolutely necessary, it said. The German stroke help writes on its website that it assumes individual cases.
"A stroke is the result of reduced blood flow or bleeding in the brain," said neurology specialist and DSG spokesman Wolf-Rüdiger Schäbitz. Since the blood coagulation system is often affected in the case of a severe infection, the pathogen Sars-CoV-2 can promote the development of strokes. The virus could also cause inflammation in the arteries, which could trigger brain attacks.
The president of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Lothar Wieler, said in an interview recently that it had been known for a few weeks that the virus triggered embolism and thrombosis in many people. There are likely to be deaths from those infected who are recognized as having a stroke or pulmonary embolism but who are not associated with Sars-CoV-2. That is why post-mortems are important. It is becoming increasingly evident that the virus does not only affect the respiratory tract and lungs. Wieler said it was "astonishing and also a bit frightening" how many organs the virus appeared to attack in severe cases.
The stroke society also pointed to a connection between previous illnesses and risk of stroke: Among the severe Covid 19 courses, people with previous illnesses, such as those with diabetes and high blood pressure, were frequent. This increases her risk of stroke from the outset, said Schäbitz. The medical society appealed for immediate treatment for signs of a stroke such as paralysis and speech disorders. If you hesitate, you risk your life in the worst case.
German stroke society
Stroke help on the subject