Hypertension, diabetes common in COVID-19 patients with life-threatening brain complications – Health Imaging

For their study, Freeman and colleagues analyzed COVID-19 patients who received head CT and/or MR imaging at their health system between January and April. During those four months, 1,357 patients were admitted and 81 underwent a brain scan. Most received their exam due to an altered mental stateand speech and visionproblems.

Overall, 1 in 5 of these individuals had emergency or critical findings, including stroke, brain bleed or blocked blood vessels. Whats more, at least half had preexisting high blood pressure and/or type 2 diabetes. Three patients with emergent findings died in the hospital, the authors noted.

COVID-19 is associated with neurologic manifestations, and hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus are common in individuals who develop these manifestations, Freeman added. These populations may be at higher risk for neurologic complications and should be monitored closely.

The researchers also found that two-thirds of critical patients included in the study were African American, indicating these individuals may need closer monitoring.

Freeman said his team plans to continue publishing results as the study progresses. In the near-term, theyre investigating cases of brain complications in COVID-19 patients with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, a pump system that circulates and replenishes oxygen in the blood. Many of the study participants have needed the device during their hospital stay, he noted.

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Hypertension, diabetes common in COVID-19 patients with life-threatening brain complications - Health Imaging