Experts fear that coronavirus could be causing strokes among young adults

NEW YORK - Doctors at Mount Sinai Hospital are warning young people that the coronavirus may be causing strokes among young people who have been infected. 

“The study found that there was an unusual prevalance of young people with stroke with COVID-19,” said Dr. J Mocco. “And in fact, we saw seven times as many people under 50 than we normally see.”

The doctors say that the majority of stroke patients are older than 50, but there has been a significant increase in younger adults suffering strokes. The study found that the virus can cause blood clots in large arteries, resulting in an uptick in strokes among patients who don’t typically suffer from them. 

“It’s important because these patients are young and don’t have typical risk factors,” Dr. Mocco said. “And so it lends substantial support to the idea that COVID is in itself a cause of stroke.”

Dr. Mocco and his colleagues say they typically record fewer than two strokes a month in people younger than 50, but that in a two-week period during the pandemic, they treated five patients.