Background: We observed a COVID-19 survivor with a ventriculoperitoneal shunt who developed increased intracranial pressure during hemodialysis. We hypothesized that post-SARS-CoV-2 infection, patients may have altered cerebral perfusion pressure regulation in response to intracranial pressure changes. Methods: From April to July 2021, we recruited dialysis patients with prior COVID-19 from two Madrid nephrology departments. We also recruited age- and sex-matched dialysis patients without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. Transcranial Doppler ultrasound was used to measure the middle cerebral artery velocity before dialysis and 30, 60, and 90 min after the initiation of dialysis. Results: The final sample included 37 patients (16 post-COVID-19 and 21 without). The COVID-19 survivors showed a significant pulsatility index increase between 30 and 60 min compared to those without COVID-19. They also had lower heart rates. Conclusions: We propose two mechanisms: an increase in intracranial pressure or a decreased arterial elasticity. A lower heart rate was also observed in the COVID-19 survivors. This study highlights SARS-CoV-2’s multifaceted effects, including potential long-term vascular and cerebral repercussions.

Assess time trends in mortality from multiple sclerosis (MS) in the Spanish population (1981-2020), considering the influence of independent effects of gender, age, period, and birth cohort. MS deaths and populations needed for calculations were obtained from the National Institute of Statistics. Age-standardised mortality rates (ASMR) and trend analysis were performed using joinpoint regression software. Age-period-cohort (APC) analysis was performed using the web-based statistical tool of the US National Cancer Institute to explore the underlying reason for the MS mortality. ASMR increased significantly in both women and men (1.7% and 1.2% respectively). The joinpoint analysis detected no trend change for women, but for men it detects a first period where rates remain stable (1981-2000; annual percentage change: -0.7%, not significant) followed by a period of significant increase (2000-2020; 2.6%, p < 0.05). For period effects, a steady increase was observed among women since the early 1990s and among men since the late 1990s. A birth cohort-related increase in mortality was detected: women born from 1916 onwards see their risk of MS mortality increase until it peaks in 1956, after which it decreases. A similar pattern is observed in men, albeit with a decade delay (from 1926 to 1966). ASMR shows a steady increase in both sexes over the last decades, although it has been more intense in men. The decreasing birth cohort pattern for MS mortality in men born since the mid-1960s and women born since the mid-1950s is similar to APC analyses in other countries.