Although there are no studies showing how Coronavirus directly affects brain structures, the brain and the nervous system, medical experts say Covid-19 affects the lungs and develops hypoxia – a lack of oxygenation. What complications does COVID-19 cause in the nervous system?
1. How COVID-19 affects the nervous system
Doctor Alexandru Grumeza, from the Republic of Moldova, from The Diomid Gherman Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery spoke about the negative effects of coronavirus on the human nervous system. He first stated that this Covid-19 virus affects the nervous system of patients and also causes lung complications.
Since the pandemic broke out, “the likelihood of developing critical thrombotic complications has increased, the likelihood of vascular distress is aggravated, and therefore the risk of ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes has increased.”
Currently, cases of cerebral vascular disease are more common by 20-30%, due to coronavirus, according to researchers’ studies and clinical cases.
Other nervous system disorders related to COVID-19 are:
- Peripheral nerve disorders – The development of neuropathies and polyneuropathy in quite severe forms, when the sensitivity, motility, movement abilities of the limbs are disturbed, but also the appearance of respiratory disorders in patients;
- Mental suffering, such as neurosis, psychosis, depression.
What complications does COVID-19 cause in the nervous system?
Doctor Alexandru Grumeza said about Covid-19 that it affects the lungs and produces hypoxia – a lack of oxygenation. The nervous system is very sensitive to oxygen deficiency, therefore there are problems in the nervous system.
Covid -19 also develops outbreaks in brain structures. Thus, infectious complications can occur – meningitis, encephalitis. Coronavirus destroys those myelin sheaths of nerves through which nerve impulses are transmitted. In this way the functions of the brain, of the nervous system, in the area where these complications take place are damaged.
2. Coronavirus, neurological symptoms
According to NYU Langone-Brooklyn neurologist J. Frontera, “coronavirus has an impact on the brain and nervous system.” Clinical data showed that 36% of patients suffer from odor disorders, nerve pain, seizures and stroke.
The virus has an impact on the brain in two ways, namely:
- It produces an abnormal immune response, which causes inflammation of the brain;
- It causes direct infection of the brain, or so-called viral encephalitis.
Neurological symptoms
People who have coronavirus may experience a loss of smell. When the body fights the infection, the nervous system is also affected. Experts point out that it is not the infection itself that causes damage to the nerves and the brain, but especially the body’s response when it begins to fight the infection. For example, in the case of influenza, when the body fights this flu virus, the immune response can trigger headaches and dizziness.
In patients infected with COVID-19 there is a common symptom – breathing difficulties – which may signal the possibility of a primary infection in the brainstem, in that part of the brain that refers to the respiratory center and controls breathing. Brainstem infection may worsen and may cause respiratory failure symptoms in patients with COVID-19.
Deficiency of oxygen in the damaged lungs can cause complications to the brain and nervous system. All this then causes other issues, such as insufficiency of multisystemic organs. In this way, patients reach a critical situation, developing neurological complications.
Neurological symptoms are related to the brain and nerves
These can be: weakness in the upper and lower limbs, drooping eyelids, speaking difficulties, lips tilted to one side, numbness. Doctors also said about the occurrence of neurological symptoms in the peripheral nervous system in COVID-19 patients. They found that patients may experience burning, stinging, numbness, muscle weakness and even muscle paralysis.
Neurological symptoms occur in a single nerve or in several nerves, and may even develop syndromes, such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Patients with COVID-19 who also suffer from diabetes may have nervous complications due to high blood sugar. Diabetes is a cause of peripheral neuropathy or nervous disorders.
Neurological symptoms also occur due to other serious diseases, autoimmune diseases, diseases such as HIV, chickenpox or shingles and Epstein-Barr.
Neurological symptoms can also interfere with other symptoms: loss of balance, lethargy, cognitive changes, burning sensation, altered odor, nerve pain, altered taste, inability to move certain parts of the body.
The researchers performed computed tomography (CT) scans in COVID-19 patients and found that 59% of them had altered mental status, and 31% had ischemic stroke. The altered mental state means a series of neurological symptoms, such as: dizziness, confusion, delirium, coma.
Other less common neurological symptoms were: 12% of patients had a headache, 9% had seizures, and 4% had dizziness. Computed tomography (CT) examinations also showed the presence of acute abnormalities in 47% of coronavirus patients.
Stroke risk
A recent study on WebMD shows that coronavirus patients have an additional stroke risk. The study was conducted in a number of 20,000 American adult patients with COVID-19. The results showed that the risk of stroke is higher in COVID-19 patients than in those who have other infections, such as the flu. The most affected are men (64%) and people with an average age of 65 years.
Cardiologist Saate Shajil of the University of Washington said that “this study suggests that COVID-19 infection may increase the stroke risk.“
Imaging scans performed on coronavirus patients showed that:
- 52.7% suffered ischemic stroke due to blocked blood flow to the brain;
- 1.4% had a stroke;
- 45.2% had bleeding or unspecified stroke;
- 2.5% suffered a transient ischemic attack;
Patients who have other health problems – such as cardiovascular diseases or thromboembolic diseases – are more vulnerable to complications, they may have a very high risk of developing blood clotting problems, which causes stroke.
Symptoms of clotting problems, or blood clots are: pain, swelling, redness. If chest pain and breathing difficulties occur, it is a sign of blood clots in the lungs. The symptoms of stroke are: dizziness, confusion, numbness. People who have such symptoms should go to the hospital.
