Table 2. Effects of lockdown on various outcome parameters stratified according the neurological emergencies.
| Outcome | Total | Stroke | SE | TBM | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PL n = 244 |
DL n = 51 |
p -Value | PL n = 133 |
DL n = 26 |
p -Value | PL n =57 |
DL n =12 |
p -Value | PL n =33 |
DL n =10 |
p -Value | |
| Abbreviations: BMRC, British Medical Research Council; COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; DL, during lockdown; DH, delay in hospitalization; ED, emergency department; GCS, Glasgow Coma Scale; LHC, local health care; MV, mechanical ventilation; NIHSS, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale; PL, pre-lockdown; SE, status epilepticus; TBM, tubercular meningitis. Note: Total cases of neurological emergencies included stroke, meningitis, status epilepticus, and neuromuscular disorders. However, subgroup analysis for nontubercular meningitis and neuromuscular disorders was not done due to small sample size. a For severity scoring: NIHSS for stroke, GCS at admission for seizure, and BMRC for tubercular meningitis. | ||||||||||||
| Primary outcome ED visits per week |
22.1 | 10.2 | <0.01 | 12.1 | 5.2 | <0.0001 | 5.2 | 2.4 | 0.04 | 3.8 | 2.4 | 0.21 |
| Secondary outcomes | ||||||||||||
| Severity, a median (range) | 18 (1–27) | 27 (4–38) | 0.001 | 9 (3–15) | 7.5 (3–15) | 0.10 | 2 (1–3) | 3 (1–3) | 0.001 | |||
| Need for MV, n (%) | 67 (27.5) | 28 (54.9) | <0.0001 | 15 (11.3) | 17 (65.4) | <0.0001 | 31 (54.4) | 9 (75) | 0.22 | 12 (36.4) | 2 (20.0) | 0.46 |
| DH (days), median (range) | 2 (0–35) | 7 (0–56) | <0.0001 | 2 (0–10) | 7 (0–10) | <0.0001 | 2 (1–4) | 2.5 (1–4) | <0.0001 | 12 (2–35) | 30 (12–56) | <0.0001 |
| Reasons for delay, n (%) | ||||||||||||
| Lack of transport | 38 (15.6) | 22 (43.1) | <0.0001 | 16 (12.0) | 12 (46.2) | <0.0001 | 13 (22.8) | 5 (41.7) | 0.28 | 5 (15.2) | 5 (50.0) | 0.04 |
| Fear of COVID-19 | 2 (0.8) | 20 (39.2) | <0.0001 | 1 (0.8) | 8 (30.8) | <0.0001 | 0 (0.0) | 5 (41.7) | 0 (0.0) | 5 (50.0) | ||
| Financial issues | 62 (25.4) | 6 (11.8) | 0.04 | 30 (22.6) | 4 (15.4) | 0.60 | 15 (26.3) | 1 (8.3) | 0.27 | 12 (36.4) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Poor compliance, n (%) | 84 (34.4) | 33 (64.7) | <0.0001 | 56 (42.1) | 20 (76.9) | 0.004 | 15 (26.3) | 9 (75.0) | 0.002 | 3 (9.09) | 2 (20.0) | 0.57 |
| Reasons for poor compliance, n (%) | ||||||||||||
| Nonavailability of drugs | 4 (1.6) | 14 (27.5) | <0.0001 | 1 (0.8) | 8 (30.8) | <0.001 | 1 (1.8) | 5(41.7) | 0.004 | 1 (3.0) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Financial issues | 44 (18.0) | 10 (19.6) | 0.84 | 30 (22.6) | 6 (23.1) | 0.81 | 7 (12.3) | 1 (8.3) | >0.99 | 1 (3.0) | 2 (20.0) | 0.13 |
| Inaccessibility to LHC | 36 (14.8) | 9 (17.6) | 0.67 | 25 (18.8) | 6 (23.1) | 0.60 | 7 (12.3) | 3 (25.0) | 0.36 | 1 (3.0) | 0 (0.0) | |