HEALTHY LIVING

Covid-19 showcases neurological symptoms before respiratory symptoms

While cough, shortness of breath and breathing are considered the initial and primary symptoms of Covid-19, it is likely that the picture could be a whole lot different than that.

A study conducted by the Northwestern Medicine suggests that the coronavirus poses a global threat to the entirety of the nervous and neurological system and it is quite possible that the neurological symptoms will very likely appear before the fever and cough. A review of some of the neurological symptoms of the Covid-19 patients in the current scientific literature was conducted following which the results were published this week in the Annals of Neurology.

According to the results, around half of the hospitalised patients showcased neurological manifestations of the disease which include headache, dizziness, decreased alertness and even impacts on the concentration of the individuals along with the loss of smell and taste.

because a SARS-COV-2 infection may present with neurologic symptoms initially, before any fever, cough or respiratory problems occur,” said Dr Igor Koralnik, Northwestern Medicine chief of neuro-infectious diseases and global neurology and a professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, who is also the lead author of the study.

The review highlights some of the various neurological issues that the Covid-19 patients struggle with and how to diagnose them before its too late.

The understanding of the symptoms is key to better clinical management and treatment of the individuals.

The disease is not localised to just the respiratory system but might affect the entire nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord along with the nerves and the muscles. Koralnik further said that there are several ways in which Covid-19 can end up affecting the nervous system. organs, it is likely that the same might impact the brain to have lack of oxygenation or suffer from clotting disorders, which is quite common in such conditions. This can further lead to the risks of ischemic or hemorrhagic strokes.

The virus can also affect the brain and the meninges, causing infections.

But, the further risks of this is by the immune system which ends up causing inflammation that can directly cause damage to the brain and the nerves.

Koralnik and his colleagues have conducted a neuro-COVID research team surrounding the same and even conducted further analysis concerning the situation and to find more evidence surrounding this issue. The same has been done with all the patients from the Northwestern Medicine to further determine both the frequency and the type of the complications that the body undergoes because of the infection.

Further studies need to be conducted to get a better understanding of the longterm impacts of the virus and the kind of manifestations of the Covid-19 on the body.

Koralnik reported that since the available information is a lot limited now, he is going to follow up with these patients in the outpatient Neuro-COVID clinic to check whether these impacts are temporary or permanent.

Better understanding of such prospects is likely going to help the scientists get a better understanding of the ways to diagnose, manage and treat several of the neurological impacts that Covid-19 leaves behind on the lives of these infected individuals.