COVID-19 threatens entire nervous system

Editor's Note

COVID-19 causes a global threat to the entire nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, and nerves, and neurologic symptoms may appear before symptoms, such as fever, cough, or respiratory problems, finds this study from Northwestern Medicine in Chicago.

This analysis found that about half of hospitalized patients have neurological manifestations of COVID-19, which include headache, dizziness, decreased alertness, difficulty concentrating, disorders of smell and taste, seizures, strokes, weakness, and muscle pain.

Because COVID-19 can affect multiple organs (eg, lungs, kidneys, heart), the brain may suffer from lack of oxygenation or from clotting disorders that may lead to strokes. The virus also may cause direct infection of the brain and meninges, and the reaction of the immune system may cause inflammation that can damage the brain and nerves.

The researchers have formed a Neuro-COVID team, which is retrospectively analyzing all COVID-19 patients hospitalized at Northwestern Medicine to determine the frequency and type of neurological complications and the response to treatment. Some patients also will be followed prospectively in a new outpatients Neuro-COVID clinic to determine if neurological problems are temporary or permanent.