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Updated: Dec 20, 2025

A Thrombotic Stroke Model Based On Transient Cerebral Hypoxia-ischemia
Published on: August 18, 2015
Macrothrombosis and stroke in patients with mild Covid-19 infection
Michael G Fara1, Laura K Stein1, Maryna Skliut1
1Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
Insights
Even mild COVID-19 may increase stroke risk due to blood clot formation. This study highlights potential links between coronavirus disease 2019 and cerebrovascular events, even without severe respiratory symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Infectious Diseases
- Vascular Medicine
Background:
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic with poorly understood neurological effects.
- A hypercoagulable state is known in severe COVID-19, but coagulopathy in mild cases remains unclear.
Abstract:
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic disease currently affecting millions of people worldwide. Its neurological implications are poorly understood, and further study is urgently required. A hypercoagulable state has been reported in patients with severe COVID-19, but nothing is known about coagulopathy in patients with milder disease. We describe cases of patients in New York City presenting with stroke secondary to large vessel thrombosis without occlusion, incidentally found to have COVID-19 with only mild respiratory symptoms. This is in contrast to the venous thrombosis and microangiopathy that has been reported in patients with severe COVID-19. Our cases suggest that even in the absence of severe disease, patients with COVID-19 may be at increased risk of thrombus formation leading to stroke, perhaps resulting from viral involvement of the endothelium. Further systematic study is needed because this may have implications for primary and secondary stroke prevention in patients with COVID-19.
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