THE DIFFERENCE IN D-DIMER VALUES BETWEEN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE ISCHEMIC STROKE WITH AND WITHOUT COVID-19 DISEASE

Bajram Kamberi

Abstract

Background: Latest in the wake of the SARS-COV-2 pandemic, many studies point out the deranged hemostatic function in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) due of the Covid-19; however, reports of high levels of D-dimers in cases of AIS and Covid-19 were not without conflicting findings. Aim: To explore the difference in D-dimer levels between patients with proven AIS and Covid-19 and AIS patients without Covid-19. Material and methods: The present study was a descriptive as well as a comparative study. Due to the coronavirus pandemic – Covid-19, during the inclusion period, due to hospital protocol all patients with the clinical signs of an acute stroke that are hospitalized for diagnosis and treatment undergo native computed tomography of the brain, electrocardiography and laboratory work-up with complete blood count, metabolic panel, markers of hemostasis and testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results: Nine AIS patients with and twenty-four without Covid-19 met the inclusion criteria. Twenty-six patients with AIS (78.79%) had elevated D-dimer levels (>500 ngr/mL), among them eight patients (30.77%) had confirmed AIS/Covid-19. A not significantly higher D-dimer levels was found in positive for SARS-CoV-2 versus negative for SARS-CoV-2 (2850.25 [610-6530] ngr/mL versus 1430.67 [509-4090] ngr/mL, P = 0.138). Conclusion: It is worth noting that the results suggest the associations between D-dimer levels and AIS and Covid-19 disease only, but in cases diagnosed simultaneously with both diseases (AIS/Covid-19) that suggest association was not significant. These results demonstrated that more attention is warranted when interpreting elevated D-dimer levels in AIS patients with and without Covid-19.

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