Background Pain has been frequently described as a clinical feature of COVID‐19, and the main pain syndromes that have been associated with the acute phase of this disease so far are headache, myalgia, arthralgia, and neuropathic pain. Understanding the characteristics of pain symptoms is crucial for a better clinical approach. Methods Patients who were diagnosed as having COVID‐19 using reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction were included in the study. Patients were asked to complete a 51‐item questionnaire via a phone interview, which included questions on demographics, acute COVID‐19 symptoms, the presence of pain symptoms, and their characteristics in the acute phase of COVID‐19. Results A total of 222 out of 266 patients with COVID‐19 participated in the study, yielding a response rate of 83.5%. A total of 159 patients reported at least one kind of pain syndrome with a prevalence of 71.6%. Myalgia was reported in 110 (49.6%) patients, headache in 109 (49.1%), neuropathic pain symptoms in 55 (24.8%), and polyarthralgia in 30 (13.5%) patients. A total of 66 patients reported only one type of pain, 46 reported two types, 42 reported three types, and five patients reported all four types of pain. Logistic regression analysis showed that there were significant associations between these pain syndromes and a strong association was found between neuropathic pain and headache. Conclusion Pain is a frequently observed symptom of mild‐to‐moderate COVID‐19. There are significant relationships between pain syndromes in COVID‐19, which may be due to a sequence of common etiologic factors. Significance This study described the main pain syndromes associated acute phase of mild‐to‐moderate COVID‐19 and its associated features. Headaches and pain of neuropathic characteristics were prevalent in this sample.
Vertebral artery hypoplasia (VAH) is a frequent anatomical variation of vertebral arteries, with emerging evidence suggesting that it contributes to posterior circulation ischemia. However, the relationship between VAH and ischemic stroke remains unknown. Hence, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of VAH in patients diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke who were followed up in a neurology clinic and to determine if it can potentially be a risk factor for atherosclerotic stenosis in vertebrobasilar circulation. This retrospective study included 609 patients diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke between January 1, 2019 and January 1, 2020. Demographic of patients, risk factors, radiological and clinical characteristics were evaluated. Posterior circulation was very common in patients with VAH, and the most common locations of atherosclerotic stenosis were V1 and V4 segments of the vertebral artery and the middle segment of basilar artery. Analysis of the risk factors for atherosclerotic stenosis in patients with posterior circulation acute ischemic stroke suggested that VAH was an independent risk factor. Findings of the study suggest that VAH pre-disposes atherosclerotic stenosis in vertebrobasilar circulation, although its mechanism remains unknown. Hemodynamic parameters associated with atherosclerosis could not be measured in vivo. Thus, to better understand the underlying mechanism, conducting studies that examine blood flow parameters with high-resolution magnetic resonance angiography in patients diagnosed with acute cerebral ischemia patients with VAH is warranted.
Objective: Patients with stroke may experience epileptic seizures as acute phase (usually defined as the first 15 days) or late phase complications. Risk factors are young age, male sex, cortical involvement and hemorrhagic transformation. Our aim was to investigate the etiologic factors and to determine the high-risk groups for the 1 year seizure rate of patients who are followed up in our clinic with a diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke. Materials and Methods: This study was included in a retrospective review of 299 patients who underwent regular outpatient clinic visits for 1 year followed by a diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke in the Department of Neurology at the Eskisehir Osmangazi University Faculty of Medicine between January 1 st , 2012, and January 1 st , 2015. Results: We found that thrombolytic therapy in patients with ischemic stroke decreased post-stroke seizure (p=0.043), whereas decompressive craniectomy (p=0.048), endovascular treatment (p=0.032), and cortical involvement (p=0.003) increased post-stroke seizures. Conclusion: According to our study, patients with cortical involvement, modified Rankin Scale score 4 and 5 at discharge, presence of major vascular occlusion treated with endovascular treatment, and those with decompressive craniectomy were high-risk groups. Prospective observational drug trials can be performed because double-blind placebo drug studies are not possible in high-risk groups.
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