Contents
Doctors are increasingly reporting that some patients infected with the coronavirus experience symptoms from the nervous system. Loss of smell and taste indicates that SARS-CoV-2 is attacking the peripheral nervous system, but there are other symptoms. A small number of patients can seriously damage the brain.
Infection corona virus SARS-CoV-2 most often it causes a number of respiratory symptoms, but it is not the only risk for patients. In an interview with RMF FM, prof. Konrad Rejdak, who is the head of the Clinic of Neurology in Lublin and the president-elect of the Polish Neurological Society. He noticed that the interference of the coronavirus with the nervous system was indicated by one of the less common symptoms of the infection – weakened sense of smell and taste. This symptom may indicate an attack by a virus in the central nervous system.
Neurological problems in patients have already been reported on the occasion of the SARS-CoV-1 virus. Recent reports indicate that in the case of SARS-CoV-2, infection can lead to similar problems. Disturbances in smell and taste are not yet serious abnormalities, as there are many indications that COVID-19, in some patients, damages other important centers in the brain, including those responsible for breathing.
As prof. Konrad Rejdak, such neurological consequences of the disease may explain the occurrence of sudden seizures, loss of consciousness, encephalopathy or respiratory failure in people who had had COVID-19 without severe symptoms and were not at risk. If breathing problems are caused not by changes in the lungs but in the brain, the use of a respirator is not an effective solution.
Check it out: Comparison of the coronavirus from Wuhan and SARS
Neurological symptoms caused by COVID-19
As reported by the New York Times, neuroscientists around the world report cases severe neurological damage in patients with COVID-19. Examples of such problems are confusion, apathy, strange behavior and convulsions. They can indicate serious damage to the brain’s structures and can lead to serious conditions including respiratory failure and death.
In the case of a 50-year-old female patient from Detroit, USA, suffering from COVID-19, unusual symptoms were noted. She complained of a headache and was distracted – she gave the doctors her name, but little else. With time, contact with the patient worsened even more. Only on the basis of an imaging examination of the brain was it possible to determine swelling and inflammation of several areas of the brainand some cells die. Doctors recognized the patient acute necrotic encephalopathy, which is a rare but serious complication of influenza and other viral infections.
The progression of neurological symptoms in the course of coronavirus infection and their rapid intensification indicates the direct attack of the brain by the virus. Such disease development increases the risk of developing critical conditions. Nervous system symptoms of COVID-19 have also been reported in other countries, including Italy. Convulsions, symptoms resembling encephalopathy as well as have been observed in patients acroparesthesia, i.e. tingling, numbness and pricking in the limbs.
Encephalopathy and changes in the brain can be indicated by lethargy, distraction, staring at empty space, and unusual behavior. If seizures occur, medical personnel should provide immediate assistance.
Still little is known about neurological symptoms in the course of COVID-19therefore, research on this topic, which is still ongoing, will be crucial in clarifying this issue. Experts emphasize that most patients infected with coronavirus do not have nervous problems – they occur in a few patients. Only further medical analyzes provide a chance to discover the mechanisms that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus uses to attack the nervous system.
Neurological symptoms in coronavirus infection have been noted, among others in patients in France, Italy, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and the USA. Some of the patients were under 60 years of age.
Doctors around the world have reported cases of patients who came to them only because of an altered mental state, but were still diagnosed with COVID-19. Only some of them developed a mild fever and short-term respiratory problems over time. This may indicate the likelihood of neurological symptoms without other common symptoms of coronavirus infection.
People with a fever should be able to communicate normally. However, if they are unable to answer questions and maintain contact with the person you are talking to, they may require immediate medical attention.
Earlier reports on the coronavirus indicate that the risk of atypical neurological conditions, however, mainly concerns patients who undergo severe form of COVID-19 with standard respiratory symptoms.
If you want to support the work of the nervous system, we recommend vitamin B12 supplementation in a natural form, which is available on Medonet Market.
Have a question about the coronavirus? Send them to the following address: [email protected]. You will find a daily updated list of answers HERE: Coronavirus – frequently asked questions and answers.
The editorial board recommends:
- What are the symptoms of the coronavirus?
- Is sneezing a symptom of COVID-19?
- Coverage of the COVID-19 coronavirus [MAP]