Cerebrovascular accidents indicative of COVID-19 infection: about 4 observations in Guinea

Atakla, Hugues Ghislain; Condé, Kaba; Neishay, Ayub; Barry, Lounceny Fatoumata; Bah, Aissatou Kenda; Konaté, Mamady; Diallo, Mamadou Hady; Mateen, Farrah Jasmine; Cissé, Fodé Abass

INTRODUCTION: Coronavirus is a virus with potential to target the nervous and respiratory systems. The aim of this work is to establish the prevalence of strokes in COVID19 positive patients in Guinea. METHODS: All patients with stroke confirmed by brain imaging and COVID-positive PCR were included in this study. Retrospective patient data were obtained from medical records. Informed consent was obtained. RESULTS: The RT-PCR confirmed the initial diagnosis and the chest CT scan provided a good diagnostic orientation. Brain imaging identified ischemic brain lesions. We report the case of four patients with stroke and a COVID-19 incidental finding in Guinea. CONCLUSION: This work shows that the onset of ischemic stroke associated with COVID-19 is generally delayed, but can occur both early and late in the course of the disease. More attention is needed because the early symptoms of viral attack are not just pulmonary.