The Frequencies and Clinical Correlates of Neurological Symptoms in COVID-19

Abstract

Objective: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may cause neurological impairments in addition to disorders of respiratory and gastrointestinal systems. We aimed to investigate the frequencies and clinical correlates of neurological symptoms in COVID-19. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 117 consecutive patients diagnosed as having COVID-19 in two designated centers assigned by the government to follow up the COVID-19 patients in Turkey. Results: The mean age was 53.08 ±15.63 years (range 18 to 89 years). Sixty-five (55.5%) mildly (non-complicated), 32 (27.4%) moderately (mild pneumonia), and 20 (17.1%) severely ill (severe pneumonia) patients are included. Seventy nine patients (67.5%) were detected to suffer from neurological complaints. The most common symptom was taste impairment seen in 36 (30.7%) patients. Other common complaints were smell impairment (25.6%), headache (24.7%), and dizziness (16.2%). Patients with neurological symptoms were younger, and more likely to have accompanying comorbidities. The patients with severe infection were also more likely to have coexisting comorbidities. Higher ferritin and LDH levels, and lower lymphocyte counts indicated the worse disease severity. Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that more than half of the non-critically ill COVID-19 patients experiences neurological complaints. Clinicians should be aware of the neuroinvasive spread of the coronaviruses, and neurological symptoms should be questioned in particular the young patients with accompanying comorbidities.

Keywords

• sars-cov
• covid-19
• pandemi
• nörolojik semptomlar
• sars-cov
• covid-19
• pandemics
• neurological symptoms