The mortality rate for those hospitalized with COVID-19 had instances of intracranial hemorrhage between 50-85 (Pic: Mario Testino Instagram)
British supermodel Georgina Cooper has died allegedly due to blood-brain hemorrhage as an after-effect of COVID-19. According to news reports, Cooper, best known for her cool Britannia look, passed on the Greek island of Kos. Celebrated as London’s original gap-toothed girl, Cooper is said to have fallen ill suddenly a day before she was due to return to the UK.
According to experts, the mortality rate for those hospitalized with COVID-19 had instances of intracranial hemorrhage between 50-85 per cent. Various international studies have reported the distribution of types of intracranial hemorrhages in cohorts of patients with coronavirus infection.
What is intracranial hemorrhage?
Also known as brain bleed, intracranial hemorrhage is a type of stroke that causes blood to pool between your brain and skull. Doctors say the condition prevents oxygen from reaching your brain making it life-threatening and requiring quick treatment for the best outcome.
While brain bleeds are common after falls and traumatic injuries, doctors say the condition also affects those with unmanaged high blood pressure and serious infections, when the body cells die due to lack of oxygen. The severity and outcome of a brain bleed depend on what causes it, the location inside of your skull, the size of the bleed, and the amount of time that passes between the bleed and treatment. Once your brain cells die, they do not come back, and the damage can be severe – resulting in physical, mental, and task-based disability.
How does SARS-CoV-2 infection increase the risk of intracranial hemorrhage?
According to various studies, more evidence regarding severe COVID-19 symptoms is not just restricted to respiratory system failure. Clinical correlative studies done across the world provide new evidence for the association of COVID-19 with bleeding of intracranial blood vessels.
Scientists say the endothelial cell infection and endotheliitis in COVID-19 patients are associated with stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, and CNS vasculitis. Coronavirus is said to damage the vascular system, leading to the life-threatening condition.
Signs and symptoms of intracranial hemorrhage
Doctors say the symptoms of a brain bleed vary based on the type but could include:
Sudden tingling, weakness, numbness, or paralysis of your face, arm, or leg, particularly on one side of your body
Sudden and severe headache
- Recurrent nausea and vomiting
- Confusion
- Dizziness
- Slurred speech
- Fatigue and tiredness
- Sleepiness
- Difficulty swallowing
- Vision loss
- Stiff neck
- Sensitivity to light
- Loss of balance and coordination
- Breathing trouble
- Seizures
- Coma
Other causes of brain bleed
Doctors say, apart from COVID-19, a leaky, broken, or burst blood vessel can also cause a brain bleed. As a result, excess blood pools in your brain, and can happen after:
- Head trauma due to a fall, car accident, or sports injury
- A buildup of fatty deposits in your arteries
- A blood clot
- A weak spot in a blood vessel wall
- A leak from abnormally formed connections between arteries and veins
- A buildup of protein within the artery walls of the brain, also known as cerebral amyloid angiopathy
- A brain tumour
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