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Max Minute: Coronavirus Possibly Linked To Younger Stroke Patients

By Dr. Max Gomez

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Ask almost any doctor at the beginning of this pandemic what the primary cause of death was in COVID-19 patients and you hear pneumonia and respiratory issues, but there were always a few outliers.

Doctors are now realizing that coronavirus attacks a variety of other organ systems: Liver, kidney, heart and the brain linked to a large increase in serious strokes in younger patients.

I spoke with Dr. Jay Mocco, a stroke specialist at Mount Sinai, who told me that in the first three weeks after New York State was placed on stay-at-home orders, his hospital saw double the number of strokes they normally see in that time frame.

More than half of those patients were COVID-19 positive, more were men, non-white, and had fewer stroke risk factors.

They were also significantly younger than stroke patients they usually saw, perhaps because younger patients had more lung reserve which allowed the brain problems to show up first.

The cause of these strokes is still unclear, but a leading theory is that when the immune system fights the virus, it gives off lots of chemicals called cytokines. Those are highly inflammatory, which could damage the blood vessel walls, setting off a blood clot that causes a stroke or promotes blood clots directly.

Either way, it's important that anyone experiencing stroke symptoms like slurred speech, sudden weakness or paralysis on one side of the body, or a one-sided droopy face, call 911 immediately.

Not treating a stroke is far more dangerous than risking a coronavirus infection by going to the hospital.

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