Stroke in Covid-19 Patients: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Objective: to map the scientific production on patients infected by COVID-19 and the occurrence of stroke. Method: a scoping review, according to the framework proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute, using the LILACS, MEDLINE, WoS, EMBASE, CINAHL and SCOPUS databases, from April to September 2020. The following keywords were used: coronavirus infections, stroke, nervous system diseases and inpatients, based on the Medical Subject Headings. Results: 24 studies that evidenced specific clinical symptoms of stroke such as dysarthria, facial paralysis, sensory deficit, headache, hemiparesis and ataxia in patients with COVID-19 were included. The association between stroke and COVID-19 was found by the following exams: C-reactive protein, D-dimer, computed tomography and, magnetic resonance, among others, as well as by care procedures focused on the findings in the exams, associated with three clinical outcomes, based on the brain ischemia zone affected and the time of viral manifestation of each patient. Conclusion: the specific clinical manifestations of patients who suffered a stroke after COVID-19 were mapped, as well as diagnostic procedures and therapies used, in addition to identifying neurological damage based on the clinical outcome of these patients.