Covid 19 stroke risk and anticoagulation

[Paul Rice]

It appears that COVID 19 has been associated with a risk of blood clotting which in turn has been linked to a 15 times increased risk of Stroke in younger people. Against this alarming background is there any possibility of single pilot operations being banned while COVID is endemic or any possibility that widespread use of anticoagulation by single pilots be recommended to mitigate this risk.

[Radgirl]

No none at all

[421dog]

No guidance to that effect from FAA.

[Radgirl]

Thromboembolic phenomena - clots - and vasculitis are the two pathologies we see due to the excessive immune response to Covid-19 infection and which lead to serious illness and death. ie people do not die of the infection itself but from the body's response that leads to clots and inflammation / damage to small blood vessels. These can occur in all organs so you get lung damage (low oxygen, need for mechanical ventilation) kidney failure, brain damage (strokes) heart failure etc etc. End of medical tutorial

So by the time you get clots you are fighting for breath and in hospital. You arent sitting up front having a coffee in the cruise when you get struck down with a pulmonary embolus. And age isnt really an issue - the normal risk of a clot increases with age, so the increase in risk with Covid is possibly greater for the young, although OP may be reflecting poor journos

The issue we face is

a re certifying pilots who have had severe Covid 19 infections. Many will have long term damage to various end organs, may not cope with depressurisation, and may have mental health issues

b detecting long Covid in pilots, especially young women, who may have had few or no symptoms but may be at similar risk, including the risk of psychosis.

I suspect we will hear much more about this later in 2021 when we have the vaccine and can turn attention away from the pandemic itself.

[RatherBeFlying]

There's news reports that Aspirin is being explored as an anticoagulant in Covid-19 patients.

Covid-19 is not the only virus with possible neurologic aftereffects. Let's be grateful that CAAs are not requiring tests for various virus antibodies and neurologic workups for those testing positive.