Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients with COVID-19 Infection and Acute Ischemic Stroke at Eka Kotebe General Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Acute ischemic stroke has been reported to occur in a significantly higher number of COVID-19 patients as compared to healthy controls with variable proposed pathophysiologic mechanisms. To our knowledge, sufficient data regarding this subject is lacking in Ethiopia and the African continent at large. In this case series, we report the clinical characteristics and management of 5 cases with COVID-19 infection and acute ischemic stroke to shed light on the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in resource-limited setups. METHODS: This is a case series including data collected from the medical records of 5 participants with confirmed RT-PCR positive COVID-19 infection and radiologically confirmed acute ischemic stroke, admitted at Eka Kotebe General Hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from June 10, 2020, to November 04, 2020. RESULTS: Cryptogenic stroke was documented in 4/5 participants included in this series with the most common vascular risk factors identified for stroke being hypertension and diabetes mellitus. The median time from onset of COVID-19 symptoms to the identification of stroke was 07 days. Two fifth of the participants in this series died during their ICU admission with the immediate cause of deaths reported to be related to the severe COVID-19 infection but not stroke. CONCLUSION: Cryptogenic stroke was documented in 4/5 patients in this series despite the presence of vascular risk factors for other stroke subtypes. The overall prevalence, subtypes, and outcomes of stroke in COVID-19 patients in Ethiopia and the African continent as a whole needs additional research to elucidate the local burden of the disease and define the predominant pathophysiologic mechanisms for stroke in COVID-19 in the region.