The Neurological Complexities and Prognosis of COVID-19

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2020

Publication Title

SN Comprehensive Clinical Medicine

Keywords

CNS symptoms, COVID-19, Cerebrovascular disease, Coronavirus, Encephalopathy, Literature review, Mechanisms, Meningitis, Neurologic complications, Neurologic manifestations, Neurological signs and symptoms, PNS symptoms, Pathophysiology, SARS-CoV-2, Systematic literature review, Viral encephalitis

ISSN

2523-8973

Volume

2

Issue/No.

11

First Page

2025

Last Page

2036

Abstract

Several neurological manifestations and complications linked to SARS-CoV-2 have been reported along with well-known respiratory pathology. The global active transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and its unexplained characteristics has led to a pandemic. Since its rapid emergence from Wuhan, China, in December 2019, several studies have reported the impacts of COVID-19 on the CNS and PNS and its implications. This comprehensive review article comprises case reports, case series, metaanalysis, cohort studies, retrospective studies, and narrative reviews focusing on COVID-19-associated CNS and PNS complexities. The authors searched for over 200 articles and used 52 publications related to the neurological complexities of COVID-19 affecting the CNS and PNS as part of the literature review process. The predominant CNS symptoms noted in COVID-19 patients were headaches and dizziness, and the most common PNS symptoms were alterations in smell and taste. Case reports on headache/dizziness, intracerebral hemorrhage, acute hemorrhagic necrotizing encephalopathy, meningitis/encephalitis, encephalopathy, cerebrovascular events, chemosensory dysfunction, Guillain-Barre syndrome, and acute transverse myelitis/acute necrotizing myelitis in PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 subjects are also reported. New-onset neurological symptoms were also observed in children with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 that developed pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome (PIMS). This comprehensive review article will assist the clinicians and researchers to gain information about the neurological manifestations and complications associated with COVID-19 and develop planning to treat these symptoms in concerned patients of all ages. However, it is unclear whether SARS-CoV2-associated neurological effects are due to primary infections or secondary response to the possible mechanisms discussed in this review.

ORCID ID

0000-0003-4970-9857

DOI

10.1007/s42399-020-00527-2

Link to Full Text
Peer Reviewed

Find in your library

Share

COinS