Abstract Details

Increased thrombogenicity is associated with COVID-19. Warm environments cause intravascular constriction, promoting CVT. After COVID-19 began, CVT increased during South Carolina’s (SC) warmer months. However, the interaction of seasonal temperature and COVID-19 with CVT has not been elucidated.

Assess the relationship of seasonal temperature and COVID-19 infection with the occurrence of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT).

The Vizient database provided frequency?of non-pyogenic CVT, with and without infarction, between 10/2017 and 7/2021. SC’s monthly temperatures were obtained from the National Weather Service, and SC DHEC provided COVID-19 cases. This study initially explored the relationship between COVID-19, CVT, and temperature and the effect of COVID-19 on the occurrence of CVT in Greenville, SC. It then expanded to include all SC and nationwide Vizient hospitals.

A Pearson correlation assessed the relationship between CVT, temperature, and COVID-19 in Greenville. A significant positive relationship between CVT and both average daily and maximum temperature (r(46) = 0.343, p<0.05; r(46) 0.339, p<0.05, respectively) was identified. There was not a significant relationship between COVID-19 and CVT, even when controlling for temperature. Greenville’s independent t-test compared CVT incidence and showed an increase in CVT cases after the COVID-19 pandemic began (t(20)= 2.71, p<0.01). This significance was also demonstrated from the total data from SC and nationwide (t(36) = 2.538, p < .01, t(44) = 4.050, p <.001, respectively). 

Increased maximum and average daily temperature is significantly?correlated to increased CVT hospitalizations. Although COVID-19 cases were insignificantly correlated with?CVT, CVT hospitalizations significantly increased from an unknown variable after the COVID-19 pandemic. When relating statistics to observed patterns, it is still possible that the conditions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic complete the increased risk of CVT hospitalizations during warmer months. Future study is needed to elucidate variables’ effects and patterns on COVID-19, temperature, and CVT.