Comparative Study of Cerebral Venous Thrombosis-Risk Factors, Clinical Course, and Outcome in Subjects with and without COVID-19 Infection

• Published in: Cerebrovascular diseases extra Vol. 13; no. 1; pp. 63 - 68
• Main Authors: Hameed, Sajid, Hamza, Anwar, Taimuri, Bushra, Khan, Maria, Mehndiratta, Man Mohan, Wasay, Mohammad
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel, Switzerland S. Karger AG 25-04-2023; Karger Publishers
• Subjects: Anticoagulants; cerebral venous thrombosis; Comorbidity; coronavirus disease 2019; COVID-19 vaccines; demographics; Edema; Females; Head injuries; Headaches; Hospitals; Infections; Mortality; outcome; Patients; Proteins; Risk factors; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Stroke Spectrum; Thrombosis; Demographics; Coronavirus disease 2019; Outcome; Cerebral venous thrombosis; Risk factors
• ISSN: 1664-5456; 1664-5456
• DOI: 10.1159/000530819

Abstract
Background/Objective: Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) has been increasingly reported in patients with COVID-19. Most published literature is descriptive and focuses only on CVT in COVID-19 patients. The objective of our study was to compare CVT patients’ characteristics with and without an associated COVID-19 infection. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study. All adult patients with a confirmed diagnosis of CVT admitted to our hospital over a period of 30 months, from January 2019 to June 2021, were included. They were further divided into two groups, with and without COVID-19 infection. Results: A total of 115 CVT patients were included, 93 in non-COVID-CVT and 22 in COVID-CVT group. COVID-CVT patients were male predominant and of older age, with longer hospital stay, and higher inpatient mortality. COVID-CVT patients presented with a higher frequency of headache (82% vs. 63%), seizures (64% vs. 37%, p = 0.03), hemiparesis (41% vs. 24%), and visual changes (36% vs. 19%) as compared to non-COVID-CVT patients. Venogram showed a higher frequency of superior sagittal sinus (64% vs. 42%) and internal jugular vein (23% vs. 12%) involvement in the COVID-CVT cohort. More than 90% of patients in both groups received therapeutic anticoagulation. Mortality rates were higher in COVID-CVT group (18% vs. 11%). Conclusion: COVID-CVT patients were male predominant and of older age, with higher hospital stay, and higher inpatient mortality as compared to non-COVID-CVT patients.