2025 American Academy of Neurology Abstract Website

Wanprapit Noree¹, Rabhas Boonyawairote¹, Ekamol Tantisattamo², Voramol Rochanaroon², Chutawat Kookanok², Kanita Mankan², Nopavit Mohpichai², Seonghyeon Kim², Andrea Paulina Yang², Bahaar Shakira Ghaffarian²
¹Neurology and Rehabilitation, University of Illinois, Chicago, ²American Heart Association Comprehensive Hypertension Center at the University of California Irvine Medical Center, Division of Nephrology, Hypertension and Kidney Transplantation, Department of Medicine, University of California Irvine School of Medicine, Orange, California, United States

Objective:

While COVID-19 disproportionately affects mortality among different races, the correlation between mortality from CKD and stroke during the pandemic among races is unclear. We aim to examine that correlation during the pandemic among different races in U.S. populations.

Background:

During COVID-19 pandemic, chronic kidney disease (CKD) and stroke were the risk factors for COVID-19 mortality.

Design/Methods:

We used Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Wonder) data to examine the correlation between age-adjusted mortality rates in CKD and stroke from 2014 to 2023 by Pearson’s correlation coefficient. We stratify subgroup analyses based on 5 races (White, Black, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (NH/PI), and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN)) before (2014-2019) and after (2020-2023) COVID-19 pandemic.

Results:

Age-adjusted mortality before the COVID-19 pandemic from CKD increased from 23.65 to 28.50 and stable for Stroke from 36.47 to 36.96 deaths/100,000 populations respectively. After the pandemic, the mortality from CKD decreased then tended down toward pre-pandemic (29.62/100,000 populations in 2023). The mortality from stroke increased and did not decline (up to 41.14 in 2021, and relatively stable at 38.92/100,000 populations in 2023).

The overall correlation between mortality from CKD and stroke was high with a correlation coefficient (CC) of 0.8835 and it was greatest in Black (0.93). The correlation was positive before and higher during the pandemic (0.30 vs. 0.75). In Black, the correlation was positive and lower during the pandemic (0.9368 vs 0.7441). Compared to pre-pandemic, the average of stroke mortality during the pandemic significantly increased in Black (from 50.91 to 56.06 deaths/100,000 populations, mean_difference 5.15, 95%CI 7.72, 6.56, P <0.0001)

Conclusions:

Mortality from CKD and stroke increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. The consistently highest stroke mortality rate, significant increase stroke mortality during the pandemic, and highest correlation between stroke and CKD mortality in Black suggest racial disparity in concomitant cardio-renal risk factors that require further studies.