Compared to SAH patients in the control group, the 212 patients with COVID-19 and SAH had a higher percentage of in-hospital death (43% versus 15%); longer hospital stays (27 days versus 13), and more time in the ICU (22 days versus nine).
Thirty-one percent of SAH/COVID-19 patients had a favorable outcome, compared to 65% of the control group.
COVID-19 patients with both kinds of stroke were more likely to be intubated and have acute coronary syndrome, acute kidney failure, or pulmonary embolisms (blood clots in the arteries of the lungs) than those in the control group, the study found.
The report was published April 14 in the journal PLOS ONE.
The investigators also found that nearly half of bleeding stroke patients with COVID-19 did not have their strokes until after they were admitted to the hospital.
The reason is unclear, but the researchers said patients admitted with COVID-19 were more likely to receive anticoagulation drugs, which could increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke. They plan to investigate this in future studies.
The study authors also found that while white people accounted for more than half of the hemorrhagic strokes in the control group, patients from other racial and ethnic backgrounds had the majority of strokes among those who also had COVID-19. The researchers plan more investigation of that finding.
More information
The American Stroke Association has more on bleeding strokes.