COVID-19-associated cerebral microbleeds in the general population

Malini V. Sagar, Neus R. Ferrer, Mostafa Mehdipour Ghazi, Kiril V. Klein, Espen Jimenez-Solem, Mads Nielsen, Christina Kruuse*

*Corresponding author af dette arbejde

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelForskningpeer review

1 Citationer (Scopus)
6 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Cerebral microbleeds are frequent incidental findings on brain MRI and have previously been shown to occur in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) cohorts of critically ill patients. We aimed to determine the risk of having microbleeds on medically indicated brain MRI and compare non-hospitalized COVID-19-infected patients with non-infected controls. In this retrospective case-control study, we included patients over 18 years of age, having an MRI with a susceptibility-weighted sequence, between 1 January 2019 and 1 July 2021. Cases were identified based on a positive reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction test for SARS-CoV-2 and matched with three non-exposed controls, based on age, sex, body mass index and comorbidities. The number of cerebral microbleeds on each scan was determined using artificial intelligence. We included 73 cases and 219 matched non-exposed controls. COVID-19 was associated with significantly greater odds of having cerebral microbleeds on MRI [odds ratio 2.66 (1.23-5.76, 95% confidence interval)], increasingly so when patients with dementia and hospitalized patients were excluded. Our findings indicate that cerebral microbleeds may be associated with COVID-19 infections. This finding may add to the pathophysiological considerations of cerebral microbleeds and help explain cases of incidental cerebral microbleeds in patients with previous COVID-19.

OriginalsprogEngelsk
Artikelnummerfcae127
TidsskriftBrain Communications
Vol/bind6
Udgave nummer3
ISSN2632-1297
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2024

Bibliografisk note

Funding Information:
This project has received funding from VELUX FONDEN and Innovation Fund Denmark under grant number 1063-00014B and Pioneer Centre for Artificial Intelligence, Danish National Research Foundation, grant number P1. Funding sources were philanthropic or institutional and have had no influence on writing of the manuscript, decision to submit or other aspects of the study.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain.

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