| Popis: |
Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), once identified, soon spread globally, becoming a pandemic. Although patients present mainly with respiratory complaints, several neurological symptoms have been reported. Symptoms range from headache and nonspecific dizziness to seizures and cerebrovascular disease (CVD). It has also been shown that the severity of the infection is directly proportional to the development of neurological symptoms, especially CVD and changes in mental status. Objective: The present study aims to briefly review the neurological manifestations of COVID-19 and discuss the pathogenic mechanisms of Central Nervous System (CNS) involvement. Methods: This is an exploratory narrative review with a descriptive approach, consisting of an active search for scientific articles in the PubMed database. The descriptors “coronavirus infections”, “COVID-19” and “Nervous system” were used, with the Boolean operators “OR” and “AND”. Eighteen articles of systematic review and meta-analysis were included. Results: CNS manifestations included, among others: encephalitis, encephalopathy, consciousness decrease, headache, dizziness, acute myelitis, and stroke. As for the peripheral nervous system, skeletal muscle damage, chemosensory dysfunction, and Guillain-Barré syndrome were observed, with hyposmia being the most common symptom. CNS involvement may be related to a worse prognosis. Conclusion: The clinical involvement of the nervous system in COVID-19 is not uncommon, and can result in several neurological complications, especially in the most critical patients. The pathophysiological mechanisms of these events still need further investigation. In the meantime, physicians should value extra-respiratory symptoms ranging from hyposmia, to potentially fatal manifestations, such as stroke and encephalopathy. |
