Incidence of Confirmed Manifest Viral Infection in Cases of Ischemic Stroke, Depending on the Season

Abstract

Relevance. Seasonal differences in stroke incidence are associated with various physical factors, some associated with pathophysiological changes in the body leading to ischemic stroke. At the same time, there is little research into the differences in the frequency of detection of the genome of herpes virus infection and influenza virus, depending on the season.
 Objective. Investigate the existence of associations between the season and the frequency of virologically confirmed herpezoid infection manifested by herpezoid virus and influenza virus of patients with ischemic stroke.
 Materials and methods. In the period from 01.01.2017 to 31.12.2017. during the year at the bases of the neurological and department of the Alexandrovsky Clinical Hospital Centre. Kyiv conducted a study of 144 cases of cerebral ischemic stroke with the medium-severe neurological deficit: 78 (54.2%) women and 66 (45.8%) men, with an average age of 63.1 0.8 years. Neurological examination and identification of the genome of herpes viruses and influenza virus, performed with the help of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR), was carried out monthly in 12 patients hospitalized by ambulance. The account was taken of the presence of a viral manifestation if it preceded the stroke within 2 weeks.
 Results. 36 cases were examined each season. The ratio of men to women was 45.8 / 54.2 in total and did not differ between seasons, p = 0.514. 32 (22.2 percent) patients have demonstrated a viral infection. In winter, 11 (34.4 percent), in spring, 7 (21.9 percent), in summer, 4 (12.5 percent), in autumn, 10 (31.3 percent), and all p. At the same time, during the summer period, the incidence of viral manifestation was definitely lower than in winter, p = 0.042. Virus genomes were found in 12 (33.3 percent) patients in winter, 7 (19.4 percent) in spring, 5 (13.9 percent) in summer, 12 (33.3 percent) in autumn and p = 0.131 rice. During the summer period, the frequency of PCR-confirmed herpes virus infection was definitely lower than in the winter-autumn season, p = 0.033.
 Conclusions. Viral manifestations of herpes and influenza virus in the blood are more frequent during the winter and autumn periods; the frequency of detection indicated viral infection from October to January is reliably higher than the rate from March to August inclusive.
 In 25.0 percent of patients with ischemic stroke, the genome of herpes viruses and influenza virus in the blood is detected. In the event of a demonstration, the frequency of the above-mentioned viral infection is clearly higher (90.6 percent as against 9.4 percent) than that of patients without it.