A new study, published this week in Annals of Neurology, has revealed that COVID-19, the infection caused by the new coronavirus, poses a global threat to the entire nervous system.
Researchers from Northwestern Medicine reviewed neurological symptoms in patients with COVID-19 and found that nearly 50 percent of hospitalized patients have neurological implications of the disease.
The neurological manifestations include headache, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, decreased alertness, loss of smell and taste, weakness, muscle pain, seizures, and strokes.
Lead study author Dr. Igor Koralnik said, “It’s important for the general public and physicians to be aware of this, because a SARS-COV-2 infection may present with neurologic symptoms initially, before any fever, cough or respiratory problems occur.”
Dr. Koralnik is the chief of neuro-infectious diseases and global neurology and a professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
The researchers described the different neurological symptoms that may occur in coronavirus patients, how to identify them and their likely pathogenic mechanisms.
“This understanding is key to direct appropriate clinical management and treatment,” Dr. Koralnik said.
COVID-19 may affect the brain, spinal cord, nerves, and muscles. The disease may cause neurological dysfunction in many different ways because it may affect multiple organs, such as the lung, kidney, and heart.
The brain may also suffer from clotting disorders or from a lack of oxygenation, leading to strokes. In addition, the coronavirus may directly infect the brain and meninges, causing inflammation. Furthermore, the intense immune reaction caused by the virus may lead to severe inflammation, damaging the brain and nerves.
Dr. Koralnik and his colleagues formed a Neuro-COVID research team that started a retrospective analysis of all coronavirus patients hospitalized at Northwestern Medicine to understand the frequency and type of neurological complications and response to treatment.
The researchers explained that the knowledge about the long-term outcome of neurological implications from COVID-19 is limited; however, they will examine some patients to determine if neurological complications are permanent or temporary. The findings will provide enough information on how to diagnose, manage, as well as treat the neurologic manifestations of COVID-19, Dr. Koralnik said.
